I Almost Fell Right Through, But I Held On To You
by Nariko
Summary: Tamora Korino has no spiritual powers whatsoever, but both the Spirit World and a conspiring demon have set their sights on her, and suddenly she's pulled into something much more dangerous than she could ever imagine. Sequel to The Feline Curse.
1. Chapter 1

HEY HEY I'M BA-ACK! I'm sorry for such a long delay, really I am, but as the expression goes, better late than never! (I love that expression.) Anyways, to anyone new to my fanfics, this fic is the SEQUEL to The Feline Curse. You can probably get along without reading it, but I ask you to read it anyways, as I'd really appreciate it. Anyways, this fic introduces a brand new main character named Tamora. What I find really cool about her character (...and I created her...geez...) is that she has absolutely no spiritual powers whatsoever, yet circumstances force her to interact with the Spirit Detectives in an interesting way. I apologize in advance since this fic has a slower start than The Feline Curse, but trust me, I will definitely make up for it later. So, in this chapter, we've got all the character information on Tamora needed to begin, the prologue, and the first chapter. Let's get to it!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YYH. I do own The Feline Curse, Catalyn, and Tamora. Like usual, five reviews before I update!

Anyways, here it goes. I really hope you enjoy this fic!

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CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: Tamora Korino  
Age: 15  
Hair: Black, styled similar to Akira Toya from Hikaru No Go  
Eyes: Icy blue  
Height: A bit under five feet  
Other info: Quite flat at the chest, does not look her age, usually has a slightly cold expression

Academic info: Tamora is mostly around boys, as she attends an all-boys private high school (no, she is not a boy, and that is not subject to change). Her father owns the school, and since he has no son, he was able to let Tamora study there. It's a school for the smart and rich. Tamora has the highest overall average there (97). If some boys do tease her about her height or other reasons, she can easily just outscore them on the next test.

Social life: Well, she doesn't exactly have one. Tamora hates working with others, in and out of the classroom. She prefers solitude and doesn't like to be disturbed. If people are rude to her, she's rude right back, and if people try to be nice to her, she does the same (as in, is rude right back). She doesn't care for much, except schoolwork, and she's very emotionless. If ever she were really angry, no one would know; it wouldn't show at all.

Family: Tamora lives with her parents and has no siblings. She hardly sees her father since he is always away doing something. She isn't close with her mom because her mom doesn't try to understand her and gets mad at her for everything. She'd probably be happy if she left. Either way, Tamora couldn't care less. She doesn't remember much of her relationship with her parents from when she was little, but she knows it was extremely painful to her. Besides, she prefers to live in the present without dwelling on the past.

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PROLOGUE: THE LEGEND OF THE CLONE

Many years ago in the demon realm, a demon doctor with amazing scientific powers made an important discovery. A baby demon was set to be born, and he foresaw that this demon would grow to wield immense powers. However, the doctor feared that this demon would interfere with his plans to rule the Makai, so he came up with a plan. Somehow, he managed to kidnap the baby and create an amazing clone – a clone that would develop the same powers and characteristics as the original. Then the doctor would tinker with the clone to make it even more powerful than the original. It would serve him and make him the most powerful demon alive. However, one day, a terrible disaster struck, the clone vanished, and everyone involved lost their memory. Only Hiei of the Jagan Eye was able to retain memories of the incident, and still has them to this day. But now the doctor's memory has returned. He has sent his demon minions forth to every possible dimension existing, including the human world, Ningenkai. These demons can control a body for a brief period of time while looking into the person's deepest, darkest, even most forgotten memories. Then they will report back to their master. The doctor, his goal unchanging, is searching far and wide, and will stop at nothing to find his clone, use it, and destroy Hiei.

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CHAPTER ONE: WOUNDED

When Tamora woke up, something felt different, but she didn't know what was the cause of this disturbance. There were low voices talking near her, which wasn't normal. Her dad was hardly ever home, and her mom never entered her room. Had she done something stupid the night before, and therefore spurred a serious chat with her parents? Her eyes still closed, she focused and tried to remember.

She couldn't do it. She'd been walking home from school, and--- Nothing more. Well, it was possible that she'd come down with a slight fever, since she was feeling a bit under the weather, so it was only natural to forget. Then she realized that her right arm, her writing arm, was filled with a stabbing pain. It wasn't the kind of pain that came from a bruise. It was ten times worse. And her bed, as opposed to being as hard as a rock, was shockingly fluffy. What was going on?

She opened her eyes and struggled to sit up. Wait a minute – struggled? She couldn't use her right arm at all. Her whole body felt sore and stiff, and her head pounded when she moved. Looking and feeling around, she saw that her arm was in a cast and there were bandages around her head. The room she was in was plain and white. It was a hospital room.

Then Tamora noticed two women standing near her bedside, both looking to be about her age. One of them had long amber hair held loose, and there were two strange bumps on either side of her head. Her eyes were strangely cat-like. The other had blue hair held up in a thick ponytail and amethyst eyes. She grinned broadly.

"Oh, you're awake!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed.

Tamora frowned. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"You do now!" she replied cheerfully. "I'm called Botan, and this here is Catalyn." _What an original name,_ Tamora thought boredly, looking into the cat-like eyes. Catalyn gave her a smile, which she did not return.

There was an awkward silence. "Why are you here?" Tamora finally asked. Both women's smiles faded quickly. "Well?" she demanded in a low monotone but with a certain authority.

Botan and Catalyn exchanged worried glances, and Catalyn spoke: "We came to apologize to you on behalf of our friends…since they're the ones that hurt you." There was silence. Tamora's frown deepened. "It's a long story," she added.

"Very long!" put in Botan. She rambled on, "In fact, it's so long and wild, you wouldn't believe us if we told you! So, sorry for the injuries – we'll pay for them, don't worry – and get well soon!"

Tamora glared at her, sensing immediately that something wasn't right with this story. "Don't even think about leaving until you tell me everything," she said sharply. Botan stopped; she had been inching towards the door. Using her left hand, Tamora pointed at her. "I don't trust you," she told her, and then pointed to Catalyn, "so I want you to explain things to me." The two women exchanged glances again, but she didn't care. "First, tell me why, thanks to your friends, I ended up with a broken arm."

Catalyn looked nervous. "You wouldn't believe me if I told –"

"I don't care," Tamora interrupted.

Catalyn sighed. When she spoke, her voice was shaky, but it grew stronger as she went on and Tamora remained expressionless. "There are three different worlds existing right now: the human world – here; spirit world, where our spirits go when we die; and the demon world, a nasty place home to creatures we call demons. Some are decent enough, but a lot of them aren't exactly friendly, and to add to that they have terrible powers. Some low-level demons somehow entered the human world, entering innocent bodies and taking control of them. My friends attacked you while trying to get one of the demons out of your body."

Tamora still didn't show any change in expression. She just listened, taking in every piece of information, without a care in the world as to if it was believable or not.

"They managed to get it out," Catalyn continued, "but they had to knock you out, which explains the bandage on your head. However, before they did, the demon controlling you tried to fight against them, so my friends had no choice but to fight back. They only intended to give you some minor scrapes, but…" she trailed off, looking at Tamora's cast.

Tamora sat in silence, looking directly into Catalyn's eyes. Catalyn looked back, almost with a sort of determination in her eyes. Tamora knew the story seemed far-fetched, but it was obvious that Catalyn's eyes were truthful (it's a sort of feeling she would get with people sometimes, and it had never failed her). Besides, she liked to consider all possibilities before coming to a decision. She decided on a question: "How do you know about these so-called demons?"

"We work for the Spirit World," Botan answered brightly. "You might know me as the Grim Reaper." _Yeah, really grim,_ thought Tamora.

Catalyn added, "And I help out the Spirit Detectives, the humans who attacked you. Our job is basically to track down demons in the human world or demons that pose a threat to the Spirit World."

Tamora processed this information easily enough, but she found another question that caused her to doubt: "No one I know knows anything about Spirit World, so I assume it's a big secret. So, why tell me?"

"It was only just to apologize for your arm," Catalyn said. "It's hard enough fighting an innocent human. But you can never, under any circumstances, tell anyone the things we've told you. And if you need more proof," she added, pulling her hair into a ponytail, "here it is." Tamora stared. Now that the hair was pulled back, the lumps on her head were revealed to be cat ears. A tail flicked out from beneath her skirt. "I'm part demon," Catalyn explained. "I know our word isn't much, but this should be of help."

After more thinking, Tamora decided to believe them. But she didn't appreciate the fact that her arm was now broken. "Why are you trusting me?" she asked coldly.

Botan stepped closer and held out her hands. All of Tamora's scrapes disappeared, and her head stopped pounding. She stared. "I know some pneumatherapy," Botan explained. "It's Spirit Healing. I can't heal broken bones, though. That's Catalyn's department."

"No," Tamora said shortly as Catalyn stepped forward. Botan stepped back. "I did not ask to get involved with this stuff."

Botan still hadn't answered her question. She sighed. "I'm really sorry, Tamora, but you're going to have to come back with us now."

"Excuse me?" Tamora asked, wondering how Botan knew her name without her telling her.

A strange black void opened the ground near Botan's feet. "What's going on?" Tamora demanded.

Botan looked at her strangely, her smile still in place. Catalyn said, "We weren't just here to apologize. We're on orders." She took a deep breath, and she suddenly seemed very business-like. "We're going to have to take you back to Spirit World with us."

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End of first chapter! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everybody, here's the next chappie as promised! Also, a little notice: I will probably not update on weeknights because of schoolwork and the five or so extra curricular activites I'm involved in. I will update as long as there's five reviews, but it will mostly be on weekends, unless somehow I have lots of time and no homework (not to be expected, though). So yeah.

Oh, before I get into my thank yous, I realize that I never quite explained my title. It's very long, I know, but it's named after the line of a song. The song is "On The Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera. I first heard it when I was still beginning The Feline Curse as a quiz-story on quizilla, and immediately I came up with this whole scenario. The meaning the title has for this story doesn't really shine through until the end, but it's worth it, at least I think so.

Thank yous:  
Yumiko-san: I'm glad you liked it! Enjoy this chapter!  
Vitanie Tora: It is good to be back. I missed writing fics, but I think it did me a lot of good. Things have been hectic but good, thanks for asking. And yeah, it is a long title, but I guess if I did have to shorten it I'd just say "I Almost Fell Right Through". And the poor little pyro pixie, but people are attracted to him, what else can I say? He's cool. :)  
arrowgirl23: I'm glad you liked the first chapter. By the way, Tamora is pronounced TA-more-ah. I like the sound of it.  
Thunder Ring: First of all, YAY I'm excited too! Second, hope you like her meeting with the guys this chappie!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: You know, that really DID make sense to me...but no, that's not what happened. You'll find out eventually who did it...but not today! And I love how you just jumped into saying Hiei did it, heh heh.

Alrighty, disclaimer: I don't own YYH. I own The Feline Curse, Catalyn, and Tamora.

Now for another little blurb before I start. Sometimes, at the beginning of a chapter, I'll include little lines of a song that I find suits the chapter or a character well. Towards the end of the series, every chapter will have little bits of a song in them (sometimes only a few words), but I almost always got my ideas for this fic from songs (the sad thing is I don't always remember which ones). Enjoy!

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_Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality._

CHAPTER TWO: SPIRIT WORLD

"Well, hop in!" Botan said, gesturing the strange black void.

"Why should I?" Tamora shot back. "And what exactly _is_ that thing?"

"It's a portal," Catalyn explained. "You jump in, and it transports you somewhere else. This one will take us to Spirit World, to Koenma's office." Before Tamora could ask, Catalyn answered, "Koenma is the prince of Spirit World. He's requested you to see him."

"Well, you can tell him I declined his request," Tamora replied coolly.

"Sorry," Botan said, not at all sounding sorry, "but that's not an option. Come on!"

Tamora sighed. She didn't like where things were going, but it seemed like she wouldn't have a choice. Even though she was pretty strong, her arm was broken, so she'd easily be taken by force if she put up a struggle. Weighing the odds, she knew that everything was against her favor. "Fine," she said. With a bit of difficulty, she pushed herself out of bed.

"Just step right in!" Botan said. "You won't feel a thing!"

Shrugging, Tamora took two steps into the dark void. Almost immediately she felt herself falling. Her broken arm was in a stiff cast, but the rest of her body flailed wildly. She couldn't see a thing. All she knew was that she was falling and accelerating at a deadly rate. If this kept up, she would –

Suddenly her feet slammed into solid ground. The force nearly knocked her over, but somehow Tamora was able to regain her balance, though she could no longer feel her legs. There were two light thumps, and Botan and Catalyn landed on either side of her.

Tamora looked around. She was in a large, spacious office with tiled walls. Two tall doors stood behind her. There was a large desk opposite the doors piled with paperwork. The comfortable-looking rotating chair was empty. She supposed Koenma wasn't at his desk…and then she noticed a small toddler dressed in blue and pink standing on a pile of papers, a pacifier stuck in his mouth. _Don't tell me…_ she thought.

"Hello, Tamora," the toddler said in a young but articulate voice. "I'm Koenma. I see Botan has helped you with some of your wounds." Tamora looked at her broken arm and raised her eyebrows. He continued, "I'm sorry about the demon incident, but for some reason, the demons seem to be able to control you with ease, much more ease than normal. As they are still on the loose in the Human World, I've decided to keep you here in Spirit World until all the demons have been exterminated."

"And if I don't want to?" she retorted smoothly, hating her situation more with each second.

Koenma looked her straight in the eye. "I had a feeling you'd tell me that, Tamora, but I'm afraid I have no choice. You see, some souls are darker and gloomier than others. Demons are especially attracted to these types of souls. Your soul in particular seems to appeal to them very much. If they take control of your body again, they could hurt you, not to mention the people around you. We're doing this for your safety. I've arranged a room for you that I'm sure you'll find comfortable." Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, Koenma said the magic words: "And unless you are with Botan or one of the Spirit Detectives, we're going to have to keep you locked in."

"And this is solely for my own safety, I presume?" Tamora said. There was something fishy about his little speech. It didn't seem normal that a secret society would just randomly take her in and protect her from things called demons, which had no proof of actually existing. _I don't trust these people._

"Yes," Koenma affirmed, "it's for your safety. And for the safety of everyone else around you."

Now she was positive he was hiding something. The tone of his voice made it totally obvious. However, she could also tell that he wasn't planning on giving her any more information. He was talking to Botan now: "…so you can escort Tamora to her room."

"Yes, Koenma sir!" Botan exclaimed. She looked at Tamora, a wide smile plastered on her face. _Some Grim Reaper._ "Come on, Tamora, no time to waste!" Before Tamora could stop her, Botan had latched onto her good arm. Without the means to resist, Tamora was once again helpless and let Botan steer her away.

Just before they left the office, Tamora planted her feet into the ground and turned back. She looked at Koenma coolly. "I know that you're making some sort of special case for me, but you're not telling me why," she said, and she knew instantly she was right from the guilty expression on his face. "But that's okay. I can figure things out on my own. I'm good with that. But don't you dare try to lie to me, because that's something I really don't like." Then she continued walking.

After the office doors were closed behind them and they found themselves in a long, dimly lit hallway, Botan said, "You know, Koenma has his reasons for everything." Tamora didn't answer, nor did she reply to Botan's numerous attempts to engage her in conversation. She just shut her voice out and focused on walking forward.

Eventually, they reached what would be Tamora's room. The walls were a pale blue with navy carpeting. The furniture was plain and simple, and the bed sheets were soft to the touch. There was a window near the bed, but either it was really foggy outside or there was a grey wall behind it, for she couldn't see a thing through it. In the closet, there were many outfits, but none of them appealed to her tastes. She figured she could just continue to wear her school uniform.

Botan left her with a cheery wave, saying she'd come back around suppertime, and closed the door behind her. Tamora heard a lock click. She scowled at the door and sat on the bed. She looked around the room, and then allowed herself to be absorbed in her thoughts and suspicions of this wretched place.

About an hour later, Botan re-entered the room. She'd almost startled Tamora, as she hadn't even bothered to knock. "Supper's ready," she said. "You're welcome to join everyone!"

"No thanks," Tamora declined, not at all sounding polite. "I like my privacy."

But Botan wouldn't hear any of her excuses, and she knew how to gain an edge over her. There was no way for Tamora to fight back once Botan got her hands on her good arm. She dragged Tamora down the hall to the kitchen and pushed her into the seat of a circular table, in between Catalyn and…some stranger.

Besides that one, there were three other strangers at the table. All four of them were male, but that was debatable for one of them until she looked closely. The feminine-looking one had long red hair and sparkling eyes that were a calm shade of green. The boy next to Tamora sat in between her and this boy. He wore all black, had black spiked hair, and had glaring crimson eyes. Next to the redhead was a lanky guy in a blue uniform. He had orange hair and a stupid look on his face. Next to him was another punk in a uniform, with sleeked back black hair and a determined set of brown eyes. Botan sat between him and Catalyn.

"Tamora, meet the gang!" Botan exclaimed. They all stared at her. She glared at each of them in turn and then fixed her eyes on her food.

"Not much of a conversationalist, is she?" the brown-eyed punk said.

"Stop it, Yusuke," Catalyn said instantly. "Besides, I don't think I'd warm up to the people who broke my arm so easily."

The one she called Yusuke retorted, "We saved your life and you still didn't like us! Took you forever –"

"Don't argue with a pretty lady!" the lanky one interjected. Catalyn rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled back.

"No squabbling during dinner, you two," the redhead said calmly, taking a small bite of his food.

The arguing continued anyway.

The frown-face next to Tamora finally spoke. "Hn. As if they'd listen to you, Kurama." Kurama sighed.

Based on what she'd seen in just the first couple of minutes, first impressions really weren't looking too good. She quickly finished as much of her food as she was hungry for (which altogether wasn't that much) and then left without a word.

Her hopes that no one would notice her dashed when she realized that Catalyn was hurrying after her. "Tamora, wait up."

Tamora shot her a look. "You don't need to follow me; I'm not running away."

"It's not because of that," Catalyn said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going through Koenma's files tonight, so I can find out what he's hiding from you."

"How will you manage that?" Tamora asked, uninterested.

Catalyn grinned and indicated her cat ears. "I'm half cat demon, remember? I've got good senses and light footsteps."

"And just why are you doing this?"

She shrugged. "I want to help you," she said simply. "When I first met the boys, I hated them. It was hard to get along. But I got to know them. They're idiots, all of them," she added with a chuckle. "Well, except Kurama. But nice idiots."

Tamora wanted to tell her off, to tell her to mind her own business, that she didn't need nor want anyone's help or friendship, but she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she said, "Do what you want," and entered her room, closing the door behind her. The lock clicked.

Tamora stared at the empty, cold chamber, looking at the dank walls around her. She shivered slightly, but not from the cold. There was something not quite right about the room. Something eerie. She heard footsteps directly in front of her, but there was no one to be seen. Then a man materialized before her eyes. He wore white clothing not unlike a doctor's outfit. His tinted green glasses seemed to glow dimly in the darkness, making him look almost alienated. He towered above Tamora in height, and his hair was long and silvery. Because of the glasses, she couldn't see his eyes, but there was no mistaking the grin on his face.

She looked up at him, her gaze icy. "Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want?"

He answered, "I've been called quite a few names throughout my existence. You may call me Doctor. Doctor Clone." He paused, letting his last words hang in the echoes from the stone walls. "I am a demon, and this will be our meeting chamber: in the back of my mind."

"So you're telling me I'm in your mind right now?" Tamora asked with a weird, disbelieving laugh that would frighten her classmates at school.

He nodded, showing no signs of annoyance at her attitude. "Yes…" he said slowly. His voice had an eerie sound to it. An evil sound. He looked at her with his odd smile, and Tamora wondered if it was madness that she sensed from him.

"You still didn't answer my other question," she pointed out in a low monotone.

He gave a small laugh. "Ooh, quite the sharp mind, aren't you?" he said. "Normally those who ask me that are satisfied with their answer." Tamora gave him another look, her eyes narrowing. "All right," he said, raising his hands, "I was getting to that. I am a master of creating clones, you see, as long as I've had time to analyze the original. A long time ago, I tried to make a clone of a powerful demon, but something went wrong, and my clone is missing. I want you to spy on the original for a while, to gather information, so I can start over and recreate my clone. If this succeeds, with my clone at my side, I'll become the most powerful force in the entire demon world! So, Tamora Korino, what do you say? Will you help me?"

"How do you know who I am?" she asked calmly. Beneath that calm, her brain was working furiously. She had a feeling she knew what he'd been up to, but she had to be sure.

"My demon minions have helped me," he answered. "One of them took control of you this afternoon and looked into your mind. I know everything about you now. I've even seen the darkest memories of your past that are so painful you couldn't bear to remember them."

So she was right. Worst of all, she figured that if she refused his offer, he could use his demons to control her. However, she was in Spirit World, which was heavily guarded. _Maybe Koenma knows that this guy is after me,_ she thought. _But they won't be able to get me in Spirit World._ "I think I'll pass," she said.

Doctor Clone smiled. "I don't think you really mean that."

"Oh, I do," she assured him. "Besides, there's nothing in it for me."

"Wrong," he objected. "You'll receive tremendous power, just like I will. Many demons will bow before you and fear you." Tamora said nothing. "I'll give you three days to make up your mind. In the meantime, I'll give you a special vaccine I created, to give you spiritual awareness so that you'll know if my demons come near you."

"I'll pass on the vaccine," Tamora said coolly. "I don't want anything to do with your powers."

He grumbled something under his breath. "Fine," he muttered, and her vision started to blur. "You have three days. Until later, Tamora."

And then she woke up in her bed in Spirit World.

Tamora sat up, putting a hand to her forehead to see if she had a fever. Nope. But even though she would have liked for that experience to have all been a dream, she wasn't so foolish as to believe that. It all made sense. Everything fit. The only missing piece to the puzzle was why Doctor Clone had chosen her. She wondered vaguely if it had to do with her past, but decided to forget about it.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. Tamora debated whether or not to answer, but ended up saying, "Come in."

The door opened slightly and Catalyn slipped through the crack. She had been right about being sneaky. Her footsteps made absolutely no sounds. "Sorry," she whispered. "I couldn't find anything."

"Whatever," Tamora said. "I don't care anymore."

"That's good to hear, I think," Catalyn said. "By the way, Koenma's decided to let you go to school tomorrow, you know, to keep up with your studies. But," she added, "he's sending Hiei as an exchange student, since he's the only one of the guys who doesn't already go to school. Oh yeah, Hiei's the one who sat next to you at supper. He's part fire, part ice demon, and he's only going to make sure nothing happens to you. And he doesn't like conversations much." Tamora scowled, remembering the guy in black who always frowned. "He's a really good guy, though," Catalyn said instantly upon noticing her expression.

Judging from her tone, it was all too easy. "So you crush on him," Tamora stated flatly.

Catalyn blushed. "Not really," she said softly. "I just have a certain respect for him. But he doesn't know that. Anyways, goodnight." She left quietly, locking the door behind her, leaving Tamora to fall asleep pondering over the demon in her dream.

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The quote from the song I used was the first line of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, one of my favorite songs of all time. Five reviews till I update! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I had an issue with the length of the coming chapters so I was making a bunch of changes (I didn't think they were long enough, basically, so I had to redo some things). Thanks for waiting!

You know what I realized? I never mentioned where the inspiration for Tamora's character came from. Now I will. Three years ago I played ringette with a girl named Laurie-Anne (or just Laurie). Laurie is nearing her twenties now, but she stopped growing a long time ago, and she's really short (even so, she was the fastest, most aggressive player on the ice). What I always admired about Laurie was that she didn't care about what other people thought, and she had a seriously tough reputation. For the longest time, I was scared of her because she was so intimidating. Anyways, it's because of her that Tamora's character was created. Hope you enjoyed that little tidbit!

Thank yous:  
Thunder Ring: Sorry for making you wait! Hope you like it!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: One of the things I love about Tamora's character is her attitude, and so I try really hard to keep it in place throughout the story. With a personality like hers, I feel it should stay really consistent. I hope I'm doing okay!  
Vitanie Tora: I love how you call Hiei a pyro pixie. :) And you have no idea how much he hates it...hee hee I love making Hiei mad.  
arrowgirl23: I'm glad you like it so much! Enjoy!  
Yumiko-san: Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YYH. I do own The Feline Curse, Catalyn, Tamora, and the quiz version of this fic (because I wrote it).

Five reviews till the next update!

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CHAPTER THREE – SCHOOL DEMONS

Tamora woke up on her own the next morning, but since she was locked in, she couldn't go for breakfast. In the meantime, she changed into her school uniform. The uniform consisted of fitted black pants with the school belt and a white short-sleeved shirt, but Tamora preferred the school turtleneck sweater since she hated collars. The sweater was a delicate shade of grey lined in gold with a pocket on the right chest and the school crest on the left. Changing with only one good arm was a difficult task, and it took her fifteen minutes. When she'd finally accomplished her task, she combed through her hair with her fingers and inspected herself in the mirror. _It'll do_, she told herself. She didn't care much for her looks anyways.

Soon after, she was greeted by a knock on the door and one of the boys she'd met from the night before saying, "Tamora, you can come out for breakfast. I'm unlocking the door."

The door was unlocked, but no one opened the door. Tamora went to open it herself and found the redhead, Kurama, waiting for her. He led her to the kitchen, warning her in a low voice not to speak to Hiei because he was absolutely loathing the uniform he'd been forced to wear.

Sure enough, Hiei sat at the table wearing the school pants and also the shirt, which he left half unbuttoned. There was a loose tie around the collar. One of his eyes twitched slightly. He was muttering something about "stupid ningen" under his breath.

Tamora sat across from him and gently munched on the buttered toast Kurama had placed on a plate for her. The seats of the others Spirit Detectives were empty.

Kurama noticed her gaze and explained, "Catalyn doesn't go to school anymore, and Yusuke and Kuwabara don't stay here. Neither do I, but circumstances require me to report here often." _Great, _she thought with distaste, _Catalyn's a dropout_. She didn't like the sound of that.

Soon it was time for her to leave with Hiei and Kurama. They traveled through another portal – Tamora hated the feel of it – and appeared about a block away from the school. Kurama left for his own school, and Tamora wordlessly led Hiei to her school.

Upon her arrival, Tamora entered the classroom alone. By unspoken agreement, she and Hiei had both agreed to keep their distances from each other, but to stay close enough so that if there was trouble, Hiei would be there. As soon as she walked through the classroom door, half a dozen guys ran up to her, asking questions along the lines of, "What happened to your arm?"

Impatiently she answered, "Bicycle accident," and made her way to her desk.

The questions continued: "Do you even own a bicycle?" "Is it bad?" "What happened to your arm, Tamora?" She tried to ignore the swarm of questions, but since her desk was next to a window, she was easily surrounded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiei standing in the doorway, his shirt now buttoned and the tie in place, frowning in her direction. She opened a textbook and began to read. Still the questions kept coming: "How are you going to write?" "Did it hurt?" "Hey, what happened to your arm?"

Finally she'd had enough and slammed her textbook shut, glaring at each of her classmates in turn. One by one, after she'd glared at them, they retreated quietly to their desks. Then, just in time, the school bell rang to begin classes and the teacher entered the room.

Hiei was introduced to the class as Hiei Jaganashi, and then the teacher requested that he take his headband off. Hiei declined at first, but when the teacher insisted, he snatched it off, his eyes flaring. He made his way to the empty seat behind Tamora. As he passed her, she noticed an ugly scar on his forehead. He shot her a crimson glare, and she quickly turned to look out the window.

Later on, at lunchtime, Tamora briskly made her way through the swarms of students in the hallway to the cafeteria. She hurried to get there before the crowd showed up, and after buying a sandwich and a juice, she headed outside to her favourite tree. It was a tall oak, with beautiful leaves and a comfortable curve in the trunk so she could sit in it. No one else ate there (or anywhere near there), and so she was never bothered. But this time, she felt something strange. It was as if someone was watching her very closely. She looked up and saw Hiei sitting in one of the higher branches, almost completely concealed by the leaves.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a bored tone.

But Hiei wasn't looking at her; he was looking at something past her with great intent. The he leaped from the tree so quickly that it was a mere blur, and slashed at the air. He clenched something in his fist. Tamora had no need to ask him what he'd just done.

"Cover your ears," he commanded her, still without meeting her gaze.

Shrugging, Tamora obliged and pressed her hands to her ears as tightly as she could. Then Hiei set to work. Tamora watched him as he darted around her, slashing with his sharp nails at the demon insects that were invisible to her. On the outside, she looked bored, but inside, she was actually a little impressed. He moved with such speed – she figured his precision was dead-on too, even though it seemed to her that he was just slashing the air – that she couldn't make out his exact movements. But it was evident to her that Hiei was a powerful demon. She wondered vaguely what the full extent of his abilities was.

Finally, Hiei stopped. He said nothing and still refused to look at her. Tamora slowly uncovered her ears. He didn't object, so she let her hands fall.

"You're skipping your afternoon classes," he told her with his usual frown. "You're going back to Spirit World."

Before Tamora could say or do anything, there was a stabbing pain in her head and her vision swam before her until everything was just a blur. The next thing she knew, her vision had cleared to reveal her new whereabouts: that eerie room in her dream, where she had met the man called Doctor Clone.

Sure enough, he stood over her with a smirk on his face, his glasses reflecting a green glow. "I'm guessing you couldn't see my minions coming after you again, could you?" he sneered.

Tamora replied coolly, "I thought you were giving me three days. This wasn't part of the bargain."

"Well," the Doctor answers, "there was a change in plans. You see, now that there are way too many demons in your realm, the Spirit Detectives will have no choice but to try to destroy the one controlling them, AKA me. They will soon give chase. And I'm going to be sending them a threat. While they are dealing with my henchman, who will be taking my place, you will be alone with no one guarding you. My demons can break into Spirit World. I can have them control you whenever I want. You're not safe. And if the Spirit Detectives try to attack me, I'll order my demons to take you. But if you agree to join me, I promise my demons will never control you. I'll even sneak you out of Spirit World to observe the detectives' techniques for me so that we can make sure they stay out of our way. You'll be the perfect spy. And every night, as a bonus, I'll train you to fight. What do you say?"

"How can I trust you if I accept?" she demanded. "I can't see your demons."

"By working with me, you'll be able to," the Doctor replied steadily. "So, make your decision. I can't keep you here much longer."

After a quick and furious inner workout, Tamora finally said calmly, "How about a temporary agreement?"

"Hm?" he asked, raising his head. "You've intrigued me."

So she explained, "It's like a lease. I'll work for you for three days and see what I think. If things don't work out, then the deal's off. But if they do work out, then…" she trailed off. She didn't like the idea of being someone else's spy, for it was as if she'd be his slave. But she had to think of something reasonable. She refused to let him hold all the power.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then, he broke into an alarming grin. He held out his hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Miss Korino."

Looking up defiantly, she shook his hand in a firm, bone-crushing grip, and then she woke up again.

She was moving very quickly, and it took her a moment to get her bearings. Hiei was running very fast, his feet barely hitting the ground, and was carrying her with him. "Put me down," she instructed as soon as she realized this. Hiei stopped and let her go, and she quickly gained her composure.

Hiei seemed upset about something. "You're just like that cat girl," he muttered, almost with disgust, and she knew he meant Catalyn. "Always fainting in the face of danger."

Tamora glared at him. "I didn't faint," she snapped.

"What do you call it, then?" he retorted.

She didn't answer; she just glared, and no words were needed. She really didn't like this Hiei character at all. "Where were you taking me?" she finally asked, changing the subject. She hated the intensity of his glare.

"To find Kurama," he answered. "I'd rather not get myself further involved in your dramatic human life story."

Right on cue, Kurama appeared from behind a corner, hurrying towards them. "I saw the insects from afar through the classroom window," he explained. "I take it we have to bring her back to Spirit World?" Hiei said nothing, but Tamora knew anyways. It was time to go back.

– Back in Spirit World –

Tamora, with Kurama and Hiei on either side of her, stood in Koenma's office facing the distraught toddler. He was seriously in a foul mood, and he had a right to be. From the sounds of it, Hiei had apparently seen an entire army of demons chasing after Tamora, even after he'd killed the first wave.

"I am NOT going to a ningen school to slash around at stupid lowlife demons all day," Hiei stated after delivering his report. "More importantly, I couldn't care less about this baka onna's safety. So keep me out of this." With one final glare in Tamora's direction, Hiei left the room.

Kurama looked at her apologetically as Tamora bristled (as anyone called a baka onna by Hiei would). Then he turned to Koenma and said, "I really must be heading back now to discuss things with my professor." He too, left.

Koenma sighed and fell back into his chair. Tamora would have had to lean over the desk to see him, but she didn't want to see his stupid toddler's face anyways. "If only you had some spirit awareness; it would make things so much easier," she heard him whine. "But darn, I can't just go and give it to you! I'm sorry, Tamora, but for your obvious safety, I'm going to have to keep you locked in at all times."

"Do as you please," she said coolly. "I really don't care."

But that was a downright lie. She DID care, and she DIDN'T want to be where she was. She was loath to imagine being locked in, and just thinking of demons and Doctor Clone made her want to kick something. But she would never show that.

Koenma called on Botan to escort Tamora to her room. Botan obliged, all the while chatting animatedly as she went, but Tamora said nothing in return. Her frown seemed to be permanently etched on her face. Frankly, all the bubbly happiness was a nuisance to her, and she wished Botan would just shut up.

They reached the room, and Botan was still chatting away, completely oblivious to Tamora's rising impatience. She was about to tell her off when Botan added, "Oh, by the way, the Spirit Detectives will be heading out to get the person controlling the demons this afternoon! Usually, we'd pull them out of school for an emergency, but as long as you're in here, you'll be safe, so we can afford to wait a couple of hours! Don't worry, Tamora – soon this will all be cleared up!" She finally left, locking the door behind her.

Tamora flopped down on her bed, weary from the day's experience. Her arm wasn't making things better, as there was a dull throbbing that seemed to penetrate everything.

"Oh, man," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes as she relaxed across the duvet.

_I'm really in over my head now._

Tamora sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked at her watch and was disappointed to see that ten seconds had passed, for it felt like much more. She sat up and stared at the strange wall in her room that looked like a window. Finally she walked right up to it, and discovered that it was indeed a window, leading into a narrow brick hallway. One end reached a wall, but there was a door at the opposite end…

Tamora opened the window and crawled into the hallway. The door was only a few steps away, but she felt a second wave of disappointment as she discovered that it was locked. She grudgingly returned to her room and lay back down on the duvet.

Soon, she got the feeling that she was being watched. She glanced towards the window – and sure enough, Hiei was perched on the windowsill. "What?" she asked calmly. He gave no answer, nor any indication that he had heard. "I asked a question," she said in that same calm. "That doesn't qualify as an answer."

"Hn. I was ordered to keep watch, though I assure you I'd much rather be doing something else," he finally replied after a moment's silence.

His statement was followed by silence. She closed her eyes and pretended he wasn't there. Then after a while she heard footsteps, and they faded. Opening her eyes, she saw that Hiei had left, probably through the locked door.

Almost instantly after she noticed this, there was a bang on the door and Botan barged in. _Hello? Does the polite way of knocking first cause you suffering?_ "The boys are back!" she exclaimed. "They're about to leave. Soon you'll be cleared!" Then she closed the door again.

Tamora sighed. Then there was another stabbing pain in her head, and she found herself in the Doctor's little lair. "What now?" she asked as the grinning demon entered the room.

"I promised to sneak you out of Spirit World, didn't I?" he said.

"So what?" she snapped.

"I'm creating a portal for you now," he replied. "When you wake up, it will be there. Just jump in – I trust it you understand how it works by now – and hide yourself. There should be plenty of trees nearby."

"And what exactly do you want me to do?" asked Tamora.

"Observe all of their techniques," he said simply. "But most importantly, you are to observe the one I plan on cloning."

"And who would that be?" Tamora questioned in a bored tone.

Doctor Clone grinned. "The one called Hiei," he said.

Tamora gave a start. _I have to spy on Hiei…_ It had never occurred to her that the Doctor's target was actually one of the Spirit Detectives, and Hiei of all people. Was he really that powerful a demon?

"You are to note Hiei's every move," Doctor instructed. "Give me a detailed report when you finish." He tossed her a thick package of paper. "In here is a short summary of the Spirit Detectives' techniques, with emphasis on Hiei, and all I know of him to this point in time. It'll help you. Now go."

And before Tamora could say anything, she woke up in her room.


	4. Chapter 4

Holy crud!!! I check on my reviews a day later and - wham! Five already! I can hardly believe it! Lucky for you, the next chapter is already fixed up! So...here it is!

No tidbit today...maybe another time.

Thank yous:  
RedRoseInADarkAlley: That is hilarious. I was actually thinking that maybe I could do a trequel with both... And yeah, it is Catalyn and Kurama, but you need to remember that she also does care for Hiei in a different way too. I mean, he saved her life three times. Thanks for the support!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Hiei IS kind of evil. Wait until you read this chappie...and the next...  
Vitanie Tora: You make a really good point, but Hiei wasn't using his Jagan for that fight. It wasn't worth it, if you know what I mean. But yeah, I wouldn't want to spy on Hiei either.  
arrowgirl23: Yep, that's gonna be the real biggie for this issue. You'll see in later chapters.  
Thunder Ring: Sadly, those are the options at this point. And neither are very appealing. Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, yadda yadda...you know the drill.

Five reviews till I update!

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CHAPTER FOUR – SAY GOODBYE

When Tamora woke up again, she was lying in a heap on her duvet. She was about to stand when she noticed the portal at her feet, and she halted. The thick package of papers was in her hands, along with a pencil. Before she jumped into the portal, she decided to read through the papers, focusing mainly on the summary of Hiei:

_Hiei of the Jagan Eye, at 4 feet and 10 inches, is a middle B-class demon, born of an ice maiden mother and an unknown fire apparition as a father. Hiei used to be a high A-class level demon, but upon going through the terrible process of having the Jagan Eye implanted in his forehead, his powers were decreased to that of a D-level demon. The Jagan allows its user to see things from great distances and control weak-minded bodies. Since the implantation, he has trained hard, and his development has been remarkable. His skill in swordsmanship is undeniable, and his is extremely fast. His demonic powers deal with dark flames. His attacks include: fist of the mortal flame, darkness sword, and his special technique, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. This technique is deadly to practically all those who face it, and if the user absorbs the dragon's power, he in turn gains extraordinary abilities. However, it takes up a great deal of energy, so Hiei can use it only once at a time, and then he must hibernate for six hours. Though Hiei is known to be a ruthless, merciless fighter, he does have a weakness: his twin sister, the ice maiden Yukina. However, situations where Yukina's safety is involved only seem to cause him to rise to the occasion, and his skills improve even more._

The majority of the other pages described the elements of the summary in much greater detail. Tamora skimmed through them as she read up on things like his physical break-up, stats on power and stamina, and even stats for his sister. Done reading, she jumped through the portal, this time ready for the hard landing. She hit the ground much more smoothly than she used to, next to a large tree.

Not too far off, Hiei and the others were facing a demon that looked very similar to the Doctor. Before anyone could notice her, she stealthily climbed into the tree (an amazing feat for someone with only one good arm) and found a seat on a branch surrounded by leaves but one that gave her a clear view of the others. The decoy demon Doctor had sent was named the Professor. Tamora sighed inwardly at the pathetic name.

And so they fought. As she watched them fight, she made notes on their strategies and techniques, and added to what was already written on the paper. And since she was so calculating, she could determine at exactly what speeds they moved. But since she was but a simple human, she couldn't actually study the amount of power they had. All she could do was make an educated guess, which wasn't much. Still, she managed to add a lot on to the information Doctor had already given her, so that must have been a plus.

The fight finished quickly, without any member of the gang using their special moves. Tamora figured that, based on the information she'd been given, they had barely used 10 of their powers. Tamora shook her head, thinking, _He sent a weakling as a decoy. If I were them, I would have guessed something was wrong…Whatever. I'm not them anyways._ Since the fight was over, she jumped out of the tree, making a crunching noise when she landed. One of the boys turned her way, and she dove down headfirst into the portal. As she fell, she somehow managed to bring her feet down first, which was lucky for her – she would have landed on her broken arm.

Tamora sighed and crawled from the carpet onto her bed. Her legs shook slightly. But before she could do anything else, there was that stabbing pain yet again in her head, and she returned to the Doctor's lair.

She wordlessly handed him the papers. He scanned through them quickly. "Tsk, tsk, Tamora," he said. "This will definitely not do. You need some demonic awareness to enhance your analytical skills. I'll give you one of my vaccines for that."

"No," she objected sharply, always suspicious of the demon.

The Doctor sighed. "Oh well," he said. "I suppose you'll grow to trust me eventually." Then he frowned. "It seems that the Spirit Detectives have found you unconscious in your room…that's not good. And…Hiei's trying to peer into your mind to see where you were this afternoon while they were gone."

Tamora grinded her teeth ever so slightly. "And?"

"No need to worry," he said. "I'm blocking him."

"I wasn't worrying," she replied tonelessly.

"Whatever you say," he said in a voice that plainly said he didn't believe her. "Anyways, you'd better get back." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she shrugged it off. "Remember," he added, "not a word."

Then she returned to her room, only she didn't open her eyes. There were voices around her, and she wanted to hear what they were saying.

Hiei was speaking. "…I'm being blocked."

Then Kurama: "By her?"

Hiei: "Not sure."

Kuwabara: "Then who?"

Catalyn's voice interrupted firmly: "Give it a rest, you guys. She's probably a sound sleeper who doesn't dream often. People are like that, you know, and it makes it hard to see into their thoughts. Let's get out; she'll be suspicious if she wakes up to find us all around her."

Tamora heard footsteps leaving the room, and the door closed and locked.

Once they were gone, she sat up. _That was close…I really don't like this._

– The next day –

The next day started off rather uneventfully, despite that Catalyn had insisted that Tamora join her for breakfast. The only reason Tamora actually accepted the offer was to avoid being locked up for an extra half hour. Any time she could get without living in a cage was worth it.

During their breakfast of pancakes and waffles, Catalyn asked Tamora about herself and her family. Tamora froze, swallowed her bite of waffle with syrup, and gave her a look. "I don't talk about that," she said icily.

Instead, Catalyn told her about her own life: how she trained and lived at a prestigious martial arts school for seven years, and how her pet cat had turned out to be a demon. Then she described her adventures with the Spirit Detectives, all leading up to where she was now. "…I've been here ever since. It's been about two months now."

Tamora kept eating. Catalyn seemed to be waiting for a response, so she mumbled, "Hm."

Then Catalyn asked, "But don't you miss your mother at all?"

Tamora scowled. Then she sighed. She just wouldn't drop the subject. "I hate my mother."

"But she must worry about you," Catalyn persisted with concern in her eyes.

"Hmph. Not a chance," Tamora said. She stood and brought her plate to the sink, then left for her room. Catalyn followed. _Besides, she's better off without me anyways…_

She didn't even register the fact that she had entered her room again, nor that Catalyn had once again locked the door behind her. Her thoughts were focused on one thing and one thing only: her mother.

Her mother wasn't an encouraging person, despite her lovely appearance. All she did was scold and make Tamora feel rejected. She remembered, very vaguely, the time many years ago, when her mother had finally exploded, yelling, "You don't belong in this house!" Her face had been twisted with rage. Compared to her wedding photo, where her cheeks flushed with excitement and her soft eyes glowed radiantly, she had metamorphosed into something completely unrecognizable. And that was when she had told her the truth: "Wanna know why, huh? Oh, I'll tell you why! Because you're not our daughter! We found you orphaned on the streets, shivering with fever and no place to turn to. Never consider yourself a part of this family, because you never were and never will be! Get out! You don't belong here anymore!"

Tamora couldn't remember being alone on the streets. She'd always assumed she'd been born into that monstrous family. Her mother never liked her, and she never understood why until that day. Her mother's explosion had revealed the most ugly side a person could have. And since the explosion, she and her mother hadn't exchanged a single word. Not even a glance.

She'd asked her father about it once, not long after the explosion and the transformation it brought upon all three members of the family, for now, even her parents' relationship had faltered. It had been one of the rare times that she actually got to sit and speak with him. He had told her, "You have to be patient with her. She's just a sad, lonely woman."

But Tamora didn't care enough to dwell on it back then, and she still didn't. If her mother was always lonely, that was how she was meant to be. Tamora was a loner, and that's how she was supposed to be.

"_Paths cannot be altered_," she murmured, repeating the thoughts she had always stood by out loud. "_Everyone's path is already chosen for them, and they must not stray, for it is not meant to be_." _That's why…I can never have friends._

She shook off the reflections of her mother, but then Catalyn's words floated to the surface. Tamora scowled and threw them away. Try as she might, Catalyn couldn't become friends with her. It would never work, and Tamora didn't want it to work anyways. Catalyn could try all she liked, but Tamora would remain neutral. Just like she was meant to be.

A moment later, Botan knocked on the door and entered, smiling. _How does she keep that stupid smile pasted on her face?_ "Koenma would like to see you in his office," she chirped.

But Tamora was in no mood. She hated toddlers, and a five-hundred-year-old one was no exception. "I don't feel like it," she replied shortly.

Botan said brightly, "Koenma figured you would say that, but he wants to speak with you in person anyways. Come on!" And once again, before Tamora could do anything in protest, Botan had grabbed her good arm and dragged her into the hall.

As much as she would have liked to, Tamora didn't bother fighting back. _It's not worth it,_ she thought, and the thought puzzled her. Normally, she'd never let anyone manipulate her so easily. _Then why did I agree to help Doctor Clone?_

Once in Koenma's office, Tamora wasted no time. "Tell me what you want so I can get out of her faster," she demanded.

Koenma held up his hands in innocence. "Geez, Tamora, take it easy. It's nothing bad – well, you may take it that way, but…"

"Cut to the chase."

He sighed. "Well, I'm sorry to say that there are still traces of demons in the human world, so we can't release you until Yusuke and the others exterminate the remaining insects. It will take a few days until we're certain that there aren't any left, so we're going to have to keep you locked up for around five to seven days, seven being the maximum."

Tamora grimaced. "That all?" she asked. He nodded. "You could have just had Botan tell me," she snapped, and returned to her room without another word. Botan followed so she could lock the door.

Stuck in her room. How fun. She stared at the window, wondering who would show up this time to guard her. And sure enough, it was Hiei once again. She glared at him and he glared back.

"What's the point of staring at me all day?" she demanded sharply. "It's not like I do anything anyways."

"Hn. I didn't ask for this," was the answer she received.

She frowned. "So why don't you say something to the toddler?"

He gave her a very dirty look. "It's none of your business."

Tamora frowned and tried to focus on something else, but it was hard. Hiei's gaze was so strong that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of anything else. Even when she wasn't looking, it was as if his eyes were pouring into her, and she could feel it like a searing heat.

Finally she couldn't take it. Glaring at him, she said, "Okay runt, let me out of here."

He looked at her oddly. "There IS a reason you're locked up here, baka onna."

"As long as someone's with me, I assume I'm allowed to walk around," she replied coolly, thought her insides were screaming out death threats for what he had called her.

"I can assure you there's no one for you to walk with," Hiei answered with a deeper frown than usual. "If you think you have even the slightest bit of authority over me, you are sorely mistaken."

Tamora had a sudden flash of insight. "I will not stay cooped up here all day long," she said firmly. Even though she didn't know Hiei well, suddenly she had the feeling that she knew exactly what to say. "I'm sure you can relate to that, being forced to guard me against your will. But, of course, you probably asked for it."

Hiei looked almost murderous. Tamora gave a small, sly smile. _Right on the spot,_ she thought with satisfaction. Hiei hopped down from the windowsill into her room. He hadn't blinked once since that comment, and his eyes were burning. His gaze didn't scare her in the slightest, but she got the feeling that he was going to do something big.

Sure enough, he unsheathed the katana at his belt, pointing the sharp metal towards her. "I'll try to make this as painless as possible," he told her. "Even so, you're going to suffer, and I will enjoy every minute of it."

Tamora didn't flinch. "Go ahead and try," she said. "You can't. The toddler won't allow it."

Hiei grinned evilly. "True," he acknowledged, "but I think I can afford to lengthen my sentence. If that's the price for killing you, so be it. I really couldn't care less."

That was when Tamora realized that Hiei really meant it. He really would kill her without hesitation. But she refused to panic. She had to focus on evading him. She knew he was fast, but she felt she could handle it. There was a flash, and Hiei swung his katana. She dove sideways, and Hiei's sword stroke left a decorative hole in her wall. She dove away again, but only just in time. One strand of black hair floated to the carpet.

"One strand," she said calmly, but her finger twitched. "Big deal."

"I won't miss this time," he replied.

This time, Tamora was not so fast. Suddenly, she felt the wall behind her, and a trickle of blood coursed down her cheek. She hardly felt it. Her entire body had gone numb. Hiei pulled his katana out of the wall and pointed it against her throat. Tamora breathed in sharply as the cool metal touched her skin. She glared at Hiei. He opened his mouth, and uttered one word:

"Sayonara."


	5. Chapter 5

Back! Okay, this chapter is kind of short, but I didn't want to move on in the plotline any more than I did in this chapter. So I hope you understand. Also, depending on the circumstances, I might not update next weekend as I will be out of town. Plus I'm getting a lot of schoolwork. Gomen nasai.

Thank yous:  
RedRoseInADarkAlley: Tampon commercial? O.o Oh my...  
Yumiko-san: Don't worry about it. I'll definitely check out your story. Look for a review coming soon!  
Vitanie Tora: That was an extremely good idea, coming back to life with spirit awareness, but no. I do like how you think though. But the whole Hiei-trying-to-kill-Tamora thing sets up this chapter in a way. Don't be stressed! Relaxing is good!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: No, Youko doesn't want to kick Hiei's ass...he wants more than that. ;)  
Thunder Ring: Against his code? What code? Hiei had a code? Heh heh, sorry, couldn't help myself.  
arrowgirl23: It's good to be mad at Hiei. It's so much fun to trash the little runt. :)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, yadda yadda yadda. I don't feel like writing the whole thing, but by now, you should know what I own and what I don't.

* * *

_"What is this feeling, so sudden and new? I felt the moment I laid eyes on you. My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing - what is this feeling? Fervid as a flame, does it have a name? Yeah...loathing! Unadulterated loathing! For your face - your voice - your clothing. Let's just say: I loathe it all. Every little trait however small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl. With simple, utter loathing, there's a strange exhileration in such total detestation. It's so pure, so strong. Though I do admit it came on fast, still I do believe that it can last. And I will be loathing, loathing you my whole life long."_

CHAPTER FIVE – HATE

"Hiei, stop!" someone yelled. The door was thrown open and Kurama and Catalyn rushed in. Kurama's weapon of choice, the rose whip (as she'd seen when she was spying) lashed around Hiei's wrist and held it tightly, the thorns cutting his skin. Kurama, while maintaining this grip, clutched Hiei's shoulder. "Hiei," he repeated firmly in an attempt to calm him down. "Stop."

"What exactly did you think you were doing?" Catalyn demanded angrily. Her glare was fierce, and her pupils were slitted like a cat's.

Hiei glared at everyone in turn, including Tamora, who inched along the wall away from the point of the katana, but he did not move, nor did he lower his weapon. "Why did you stop me?"

"You know that it is a serious crime to kill a human," Kurama said. "It doesn't matter if you were enraged with her for any reason. You must control yourself. Remember that any punishment you receive affects my own as well."

Catalyn nodded fervently. "I don't know what sort of grudge you have against Tamora, but you can't just attack her like that," she said in a concerned but strong voice.

Hiei glared at her, his eyes blazing. Then he wrenched himself free of Kurama's grip, sheathed his katana, and stomped out of the room.

Kurama sighed. His rose whip shrank until it became a small red rose, which he tucked beneath his hair. "I'm terribly sorry, Tamora," he said, turning to face her. "Are you injured?" She wiped the little bit of blood from her cheek but didn't reply. "Let one of us fix that for you."

"No," she said immediately. "I've said it before. I don't want your stupid powers rubbing off on me."

Kurama accepted this without a word, as if he expected that answer. "Well," he said a bit uneasily, "I'd best be off. Hiei may need help calming down." And so he left, leaving Tamora alone with Catalyn.

If Tamora's scowl was a hint that she wanted Catalyn to leave, she didn't take it. She just stood there, fidgeting a little, as if trying to decide on what to say. "Uh, listen, Tamora. There's something about Hiei that, uh, I think you should know." Tamora said nothing, and Catalyn asked, "Don't you wonder why he seems to hate you so much?"

"I really don't care," Tamora said.

"I think you should know," Catalyn repeated insistently.

Tamora took a good look at her. Her face was set, and it was obvious that Catalyn could be very stubborn and determined when she wanted to be. "Fine, then, tell me," she said without interest.

Catalyn began, "When your body was taken over by a demon insect a few days ago, it started to get violent. Yusuke spotted it and Koenma sent the rest of the Spirit Detectives to help get it back under control. Four of us were trying to come up with a way to gently knock you out and force the insect to leave its inanimate host, but since you kept fighting back, it was difficult. Then Hiei suggested that we go with the intent to kill, and that one human life didn't matter. In his opinion, he saw you as weak for losing control, and for that, you deserved to die, which was an even easier way to get the demon out. We all objected, but Hiei tried anyways. He's the one who broke your arm. When he did, you fell into a wall, and it knocked you out. Then Hiei tried to keep going, but Kurama hit him over the head by surprise and knocked him out. And Hiei was badly punished for his actions. You see, a long while back, Hiei and Kurama were thieves. They stole something from Spirit World, and as punishment they were sentenced to serve Koenma for a while and work with Yusuke, the only Spirit Detective at the time. Because he tried to kill you, his sentence was lengthened. And since Kurama was once his partner, he must share the punishment. And every time Hiei disobeys Spirit World, his sentence is lengthened more and more."

"So basically, he hates me because his sentence got lengthened for trying to kill me," Tamora stated dully. _What a stupid reason._

Catalyn nodded. "And if word reaches Koenma of this incident, no doubt he'll be forced to stay cooped up here even longer. He may even be locked up. But if that's the case, Hiei will take any chance he can get to hurt you, because his anger will be so great, the sentence won't matter anymore. He won't leave you in peace."

Feeling a surge of hatred run through her spine, Tamora said, "Maybe I should tell Koenma. It would serve him right to be locked up."

"Don't do that!" Catalyn protested. "Besides, Hiei's a good guy if you get to know him!"

"Yes, I should really get to know a guy who tried to kill me!" Tamora snapped. Catalyn blinked, unable to find a reply. "Take me to Koenma," she ordered.

"No," Catalyn said firmly. "I won't let you do something stupid like this just for revenge. I've tried to be nice to you, but all you are is rude. We're doing you a favor by keeping you here. At least try to appreciate that!"

Tamora gave a sardonic laugh. "Staying locked up with a guy who wants to kill me is keeping me save, yes!"

"I'm just trying to help you out," Catalyn said. "Please try to lighten up. You know, being like this every day must get pretty lonely. I know what it's like. I understand what being unwanted feels like. I know what it's like to be with someone you absolutely can't stand. Hiei and I hated each other for the longest time, but then he went and saved my life three times." She sighed. "Well, I'll give you some time alone now. Enjoy your solitude." And she left.

Tamora sat on her duvet, completely unperturbed despite Catalyn's reaction. Besides, maybe it was better that Catalyn was angry with her, because then she wouldn't come and bother her.

Besides, there was something else on her mind. Hiei. He hated her with a fiery passion, and he really did want her dead. Well, Tamora felt the same. She utterly despised him. All he'd done so far was insulted her and got on her nerves. Plus, he was always sent to guard her and all he'd do was glare with those hellfire eyes. How she'd love to see him in trouble for all he'd done!

Or better yet…just minutes ago, he'd held her life in his hands. What if she could hold _his_ life in _her_ hands? To see his usual glare gone, replaced by a scared, dreading look, perhaps with sweat trickling down his face, deprived of any power… She could get back at him for every little thing he'd said and done to her, return every single insult while he could only watch and listen in pain… And then she could use his katana for the deathblow, just for him to see his own resources used against him… She'd prolong the deathblow as long as possible, just so he could suffer all the more…

A small smile almost escaped her lips at the thought, but it didn't quite form. She'd never smiled in her life. It was almost as though her muscles didn't know how. Still, she was able to fall asleep soundly that night, and all because the fantasies of getting back at Hiei lingered in her mind.

That night, Doctor Clone summoned her.

"There's still one more day left," she reminded him.

"I know," he said with a mysterious smile, "but I can tell you've made up your mind."

"Oh, have I?" she said monotonously, wondering if he'd give something away.

He tapped the rim of his glasses, which glowed an eerie green in the dim light of the chamber. "The secret is these. I can see through them not only what's right in front of me, but things in other dimensions or worlds. Of course, I don't use them too often, for it uses up power and would ruin my vision. But I know you've made up your mind even though only two days have passed. You want to get revenge on Hiei for trying to kill you, don't you? Once I clone that arrogant runt, I'll be able to annihilate him. Spying on him, and helping bring about his demise, will be more than enough to pay him back, especially when he finds out it was all thanks to you. So, do I have your answer?"

"You do," Tamora said. She didn't need to think about it any longer.

"Don't worry that spying is wrong, though," he said, and try as he might to hide it, Tamora could sense the eagerness in his voice.

She glared. "I never said I refused, nor did I say I accepted."

The Doctor looked worried, which was exactly what she wanted. "So, will you work with me as my spy, therefore helping me bring down Hiei of the Jagan Eye?"

Tamora looked him squarely in the eyes. "I will."

* * *

The lyrics I put in italics at the beginning of the chapter were from the Broadway musical, Wicked (the best musical ever!). The song is called "What is This Feeling? (Loathing)"


	6. Chapter 6

FINALLY!!! I've been trying for an extremely long time to get this document loaded, but fanfiction kept giving me errors. So sorry, but it wasn't my fault this time! But now it works!!! So, let me head straight into the thank yous:

arrowgirl23: Yeah, it's so true, they are perfect. That's why this fic works so well. :)  
Vitanie Tora: Oh, Hiei, why do you try to hurt my faithful reviewer?! Yeah, Tamora has a smirk. But she never smiles. She never has.  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Thanks as always! I'm really happy that I'm able to keep everyone in character. Characters are my favorite part of writing - that and plot.  
RedRoseInADarkAlley: Thanks very much for the compliment! I try my best to keep the characters in character, so I'm glad!  
Yumiko-san: Don't worry about it...send it when you can...I understand if you're busy, I've been swamped lately too.  
Natsuki of the Mist x3: I'm glad you like it!  
Thunder Ring: Aw, that makes me sad...I like Tamora a lot...heck, I'm the author, I'm allowed to love my evil characters.

So, now for a mini-tidbit: pairings. Well, Catalyn and Kurama are paired...they're together a lot, at least, and though I don't really elaborate so much in this fic (since they're not the focus), the feeling is still there. If you've read the prequel, I developped their relationship enough to give them one, if nothing else. I'm not a huge relationships writer in terms of love; friendship is more of my thing. And as for Tamora and Hiei...in a way this fic is a pairing of the two of them, though it's definitely not a traditional form of a pairing. Still, when you look at all that happens between them, especially since now Tamora has to spy on Hiei, how could it not be a "pairing"?

Okay that's it for now! **Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, and by now you should know what I do own. Five reviews till I update!

* * *

CHAPTER SIX – A TWISTED TALE

Two days passed uneventfully since Tamora's deal with the doctor had become official. The gang had not had any missions, and though Hiei apparently went to the training room every day (as she found out from Kurama), she could not leave her room to observe him. Kurama and Catalyn took turns in guarding her, and though she hated their company, it was better than the runt any day. And since Kurama went to school during the day, she was mostly left with Catalyn. Tamora despised the fact that she was missing so much school. If she could have at least kept up with her studies, it would give her something to do during the long, boring days.

Then, that afternoon, Kurama came back with an unbelievably large package of papers. They looked almost like worksheets. And sure enough, Kurama affirmed, "I collected your notes and homework. I told your teachers you were home sick, and that I was a neighbour and would stop by every day to pick up your homework and notes." He handed her the sheets, which she wordlessly accepted (thank yous weren't in her nature).

Under Kurama's guard, she spent the two hours before supper going over all her notes, and then she completed all the worksheets. When Kurama accompanied her to the kitchen, it was obvious he was astonished at her speed. Afterwards, Tamora regretted being so quick. The rest of the evening passed by for an eternity before she went to sleep.

The next morning, just before Kurama left for school, he stopped by Tamora's room and handed her a large package of math and science worksheets. "I photocopied my own homework from the past week or so, if you'd like to give it a shot," he explained. "I checked our itineraries, and they're quite similar. I'm sure you don't actually need the extra practice, but it will give you something to do." With that, he left.

So Tamora got to work. She was actually pleased with the work Kurama had given her. She'd wondered if his school was at the same level as hers, and it definitely was. Plus, since she had a full week's worth of homework to do, she was able to take it slow and spend the whole morning on the worksheets and worked her way into the afternoon.

In the middle of that afternoon, just as she was finishing the last of the worksheets, Botan knocked and entered the room. She beamed at Tamora. "Koenma would like to speak with you," she said, so Tamora followed her down the corridor to the toddler's office. It was nice to breathe in some more air and walk around.

"I've got good news for you, Tamora," Koenma stated as soon as she entered.

"What now?" she sighed. She didn't believe him when he said there'd be good news.

"As of tomorrow, you're released!"

This sparked her attention, or at least a little bit of it. "For good, I presume?" she asked.

"For good," agreed Koenma. "You'll never see Spirit World again until the time of your death."

Even though she didn't show it, Tamora was quite happy. She'd never have to stay locked up in that stupid room again…she could get the proper medical treatment for her broken arm…and she'd never see Hiei again…

Then a sudden thought struck her, and it remained with her even as Botan led her back to her room. _Great…what am I going to do now? I suppose I have tonight to think about it…but…_

And just as she hoped, Doctor Clone summoned her that night for an update. She was relieved to be able to calmly explain to him what had just transpired that afternoon. If she left Spirit World, it would be that much harder for her to spy on Hiei.

Doctor was evidently disturbed by this piece of news, but he put on a quick, calm façade. "Not to worry, Tamora," he simpered. "Things have a funny way of turning for your favor when you least expect it. I'm sure you'll get your lucky break. For now, go back and get some rest. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, whether or not things work out."

Tamora woke up again, like she always did after he dismissed her. She was uncertain as to why he seemed so sure, but then again, she had detected that tremble in his voice when he tried to reassure her. _I'll just have to wait and see,_ she thought. _Only time will tell. Until then, I'll just hope I get my stroke of luck._

Meanwhile, Doctor Clone had set furiously to work in his lab. Using a bit of his demonic powers, he had managed to momentarily stop time. However, doing this expended much of his energy, so he'd only be able to hold the spell for about twenty minutes. That was all he had. Twenty minutes to make the clone. Quickly he extracted some DNA out of a stray strand of his subject's hair and injected it into his transparent cloning machine, where the soon-to-be body of the clone lay as if dormant. With some more demonic tricks, the process was nearly complete. The body began to take its shape, and its hair sprouted to perfect length. All the little details quickly appeared. Then, using another special machine of his, he looked into the clone's mind for any differences. He found a spark of kindness there, as if by a fluke, and he quickly erased it. After one more quick all-around check, the clone was deemed ready, so he clothed it and sent it to the Human World. Then he set furiously to work again. He still had one more clone to make…

Tamora was rudely awakened by violent banging on her door. "Come on already!" yelled Yusuke, pounding on the door with even more gusto. "Wake up, damn it, it's urgent!"

Muttering curses under her breath, Tamora wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up in bed. "Open up, then."

Yusuke unlocked the door, opened the lights (causing her to swear and shut her eyes), and marched over to her, looking her up and down. "Sure don't look like a ghost yet," he said, poking her on the shoulder. "Nope, definitely not a ghost –"

Tamora slapped his arm off, generating a loud smacking noise that was enough to make anyone flinch. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

Yusuke shrugged. "It's a confusing story," he said. "Koenma will explain it to you," he added hastily before she could bite his head off. "Come on, he's waiting."

Though she refused to show it, Tamora was itching to know what was so important that she had to be awoken in the middle of the night to hear about it, so she followed Yusuke to the toddler's office. She swung open the door, and was slightly taken aback by the sight. Koenma was at his desk, totally frazzled, unlike anything she'd ever seen from his before. Papers were in complete disarray on his desk and on the floor, and a few more swished to the ground. His TV screen was full of static.

"You came!" he exclaimed with a gasp.

Botan was right at his side. "You're breathing exercises, Koenma sir!!" she cried quickly.

Koenma took a few huge deep breaths while Botan counted the ins and outs. Finally, he seemed to regain his composure. He sighed, squinting at Tamora, as if inspecting her. "Well, it seems that you definitely are alive, but…"

Tamora cut him off. "Cut to the chase and tell me what the hell's going on here," she snapped.

He took another deep breath, and when he spoke, his tone was extremely grave. "I don't exactly know how to break it to you, but…there's been an accident near your house. I'm sorry to tell you that…both of your parents are, well…dead."

She stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I know it must be a shock to you," Koenma said, causing her to glare, "but it's been all over the late-night news in the Human World, and of course Botan had a nasty surprise escorting the spirits to Heaven. There's no doubt about what happened. The circumstances, however, were quite…bizarre."

"How so?" Tamora asked quietly.

Koenma held up the remote to the TV. "Here's some of the footage of the accident," he said, pressing the green play button.

It was quite dark outside, but Tamora could recognize her street. She saw her dad's car driving along, back towards her house…and then, all of a sudden, a truck coming by so fast that it almost looked like a blur collided with the car. The car spun off and flipped over, while the truck rammed into a tree. Then all was still.

Koenma paused and rewound the footage until there was a good side view of the car. Zooming in on the back seat, he indicated for Tamora to look closely.

She did. With the tinted windows, it was hard to see, but there was no mistaking the figure she saw. There was a girl in the back seat.

Koenma continued, "The truck driver was drunk, apparently, but his identity is still unknown. He died in the crash as well. But back to the girl in the back seat. There's no mistaking that your parents, Koketsu and Musume, are the victims here. However, all three bodies in the car have been identified, and that third person is none other than you, Tamora Korino. It was your body they found in that back seat, and you have been proclaimed dead."

Tamora was rendered speechless. Her mind had been swept completely blank. She knew that she'd never left her room, and whoever had been guarding her could vouch for that too. So how? She stood there, rooted to the spot, struggling to sort out her blazing thoughts.

Just then, the door burst open, and Kuwabara, Kurama, and Catalyn entered the room. "We heard something about Tamora being dead!" Kuwabara huffed, obviously having been running. He stared at her, and she glared.

"What happened?" panted Catalyn.

"There was an accident," Koenma said, glancing sideways at Tamora. "May I repeat it?" She said nothing, so he took it as consent and recounted the tale.

Kuwabara was wide open-mouthed at the end of it. Catalyn was shocked, as was Kurama. "What the hey's going on?" Kuwabara demanded. "This is totally screwy!"

Catalyn looked at Tamora sadly, then looked down. "I…I'm so sorry to hear this," she said. "It happened so suddenly…I…you must be feeling pretty mixed up right now, and –"

"– And what give you that idea?" Tamora snapped.

Catalyn stared in surprise, as did everyone else. Then she said, "But – you don't care?"

Tamora frowned at her. "And when did I care about my parents? Last I checked, never."

"But your parents raised you!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Parents are good people!" He added hastily, "Unless you've got someone like Urameshi's mom, but that's a whole different –"

"Shut up about my mother!" Yusuke roared. "Only I'm allowed to insult her!"

"How would you know if my parents are good people?" Tamora demanded, and the boys stared. "You've never met them, so of course you wouldn't know that they didn't give a hang about me."

Everyone but Kurama was left speechless, but even he waited a moment before asking, very seriously, "Is that how you really feel about this, Tamora?"

Tamora looked him straight in the eye, and once again, her voice had taken on its usual monotone. "Everyone has a path put out for them when they are born," she said without any sign of emotion, not even in her ice-cold eyes, where others' emotions would flicker slightly no matter how they tried to hide it. "That is their destiny, and their road cannot be altered. To live any longer…that was not an option for my parents. Their paths ended there. To live any longer was not part of their path, and so they had to die," she paused, "just as we all will when our paths come to an end."

Silence followed her statement. Then Catalyn cried out, "Are you really that heartless?"

Tamora glared at her. "How I feel is no concern of yours. You and I are completely different, and just because you care about something doesn't mean that I do. And looking at your surprised faces, I'm guessing you really don't know me too well, do you?"

There was silence once again. Finally Koenma said, "Okay, Spirit Detectives, I'll ask you all to leave for now. I'll speak to you again in the proper morning." With that, the four of them left, closing the office doors behind them. Tamora could have sworn she saw Catalyn looking back at her before the doors finally closed.

"Well," sighed Koenma, "we have quite the predicament here. As you know, the city believes you to be dead. If you were to show up now, after having just been on the news, your appearance would spark chaos. Your name will end up being scratched from the list at your school, so I'm afraid your education there has been cut short."

"What are you getting at?" Tamora asked slowly and tonelessly. By now, though, she already knew, and that idea was not appealing to her.

"Well," Koenma said, "this has never happened before, but I think our best bet is to keep you in Spirit World for a little while longer. Once things settle down, perhaps we can relocate you to a boarding school in another city or something. For now, however, it's too dangerous. So, what do you say to sticking around here? I know it's tough on you, but on the bright side, you don't need to be guarded or locked up anymore," he added. "You'll have access to everywhere in Spirit World the Spirit Detectives do."

Tamora took a moment to ponder over the proposal. Koenma's reasoning made perfect sense. So as much as she hated to say it, she agreed. "Okay. I'll stay for now."

"Go back to your room and get some sleep," Koenma suggested. "You can still get in a good few more hours."

Tamora left the office by herself. She entered her room and closed the door behind her, then started when she realized that no more would she hear the click of the door being locked. It felt strange, this new freedom she had.

She lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. It was hours before she could finally fall asleep, and by then it was already morning. She slept well into the afternoon, and was woken up by Kurama's knock on the door when he returned from school.

"Sorry about that," Kurama said when he entered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

Tamora shrugged. "What do you want?"

He handed her some notes and worksheets. "I figured you'd want to keep up with your studies even though attending school is no longer possible," he said, "so I'm making copies of all my work. I hope it's satisfactory enough for you."

She took the papers and placed them on her night table. "It's fine," she sighed.

Kurama looked at her, concerned. "Are you alright? Maybe you're coming down with something."

"I'm fine," she said with finality. Kurama nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Tamora sighed. She felt utterly spent, and she hadn't even done anything. She closed her eyes, and she somehow slept right through the afternoon and into the night.

That night, she spoke with Doctor Clone again. "I go to summon you and I find you still in Spirit World!" he exclaimed. "What happened?"

So Tamora told him.

At the end of it, he said instantly, "I'm so sorry about your parents, Tamora." She glared at him, and he accepted this and moved on without second thought. "Well, I suppose you did get your lucky break, though in the most unfortunate of ways. Since that's the case, I'm going to send a little distraction Koenma's way, and he'll surely send the Spirit Detectives to sort things out. You'll get another shot to spy on them shortly. Until then, stay vigilant."

"I haven't seen Hiei anywhere lately," she informed the Doctor. "How can you be sure he'll participate in the mission?"

"He will," the doctor assured her. "Every time he obeys a Spirit World request, his sentence is lessened slightly. But it will be a long time before he is freed. Besides," his glasses gleamed in the dim light, "he'll be dead long before that day comes."


	7. Chapter 7

Yes! Woohoo! I'm on the ball this time! Well, kinda. I've still got loads of schoolwork, so an update for this weekend may not happen. So I hope you all enjoy this one!

Thank yous:  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Well, no, her parents didn't really care for her, apart for her dad wanting her to get this supreme education.  
arrowgirl23: He wants to make a clone strong enough to kill Hiei and take over the demon world... Because Hiei would obviously stand in his way.  
Vitanie Tora: Oh my...sleep is important too, you know! Hope you're feeling okay.  
Yumiko-san: No worries, the review is always appreciated!  
RedRoseInADarkAlley: Sorry, I'm all out of prizes...(never had any to begin with)...but it's no biggie anyways.  
Thunder Ring: Yeah, Doctor's evil. But honestly, what's the point if there's no evil guy that everyone wants to kill?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, you all know what I do own...I hate putting this in... Five reviews till the next update! (Well, when I update next, whenever that is, there should be at least five reviews.)

Little tidbit for today? A bokuto is a wooden sword. I use that word once today. Just so you know.

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CHAPTER SEVEN – CAUGHT OR NOT?

As Tamora wandered through the halls of Spirit World, she noticed a short man clad in black walking ahead of her, towards Koenma's office. Curiously she followed, wondering what sort of trouble Hiei was in now, or if he had a new mission (in which case she'd have something to do – there had been no missions since Tamora last spoke with the Doctor, even though he assured her he'd come up with something). Kurama's worksheets did keep her slightly entertained, but she worked through them too easily.

"I _can_ hear footsteps, you know," Hiei said suddenly without looking back. "So tell me why you're following me."

Tamora frowned at him, though he couldn't see it. _Maybe he can, _she realized suddenly. _He's got the Jagan. But then again, it seems as though he's wearing his headband. Well, trust him to notice my presence anyways. There's nowhere to hide in this stupid hallway_. She decided on a neutral answer: "Am I not allowed to see Koenma?"

Hiei hn-ed and continued. She followed. The short walk ended, and they both entered Koenma's office.

"What did you call me for?" Hiei asked immediately in an annoyed, ignoring the fact that Koenma was completely surrounded by his paperwork and also by the rest of the Spirit Detectives.

Koenma looked up briefly. "It concerns your next assignment," he said breathlessly. His head snapped down and back up again. "Tamora? What can I do for you?"

"I wonder," she said bluntly.

Koenma looked back at his papers again and continued to address Hiei and the gang. "Well, compared to other missions you've had, this will be like a walk in the park, but I really need to get this done. An army of low-level demons has infiltrated an area of Makai that belongs to Spirit World. In other words: they're not allowed to be there. It's strictly for Spirit World personnel only, and they aren't fighters and so can't fight them off. I need you to travel there by portal and drive the demons out. Simple, no?"

_No kidding, _thought Tamora, leaning against the door. _Even I could probably do this, and my good arm is still broken._

"You don't need me for this," Hiei said. "Low-level demons aren't worth my time. Even this one, in her condition, could fight them." He glanced at Tamora, and the two exchanged glares.

Koenma firmly shook his head. "Unlike you, Hiei, Tamora is not here to serve Spirit World. And if you ever want to be released, you'd better do as I say."

Hiei glared but remained silent. He knew better than to talk back to Koenma after he'd used that line. Tamora caught his eye and smirked. He glared at her with even more intensity.

So, Koenma made the portal, and one by one the gang jumped through. After they'd all made the jump, it began to shrink. Tamora made up her mind in an instant. "Well, if you still have nothing interesting to say to me, I'll leave," she said. Koenma gave his consent, but he clearly was not paying her any attention as some ogres ran by and slammed more ceiling-high stacks of papers on his desk. She kicked the door to his office closed. And without another moment's hesitation, she jumped through the portal just as it closed.

Even before the landing, Tamora knew exactly what to do. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she flung her body forward and let the impact roll her into a bush. She landed with both her feet and her tailbone, but it surprisingly didn't hurt. Then she noticed that though there were bushes, the ground was made completely of layers of soft sand.

From her hiding spot, she observed the area. Nearby was a giant blue building with the red initial SWHQ engraved upon it. There was a lot of noise and running, as if there was a huge commotion going on. Sure enough, little ogre-like demons with lots of black hair and skin in different shades of green, blue, brown, and grey ran about, bursting from the building's open doors.

She listened closely, and soon she was able to make out Kuwabara's voice coming from inside the building. He was yelling something. Tamora assumed that the Spirit Detectives were inside the building, driving out the demons there first. They couldn't see her while she was inside the building, so she wondered, _why not try and get the demons from the outside?_

Even with a broken arm, she was quite strong. Her left arm packed almost as much of a punch as her right, and it sure knew how to make mincemeat of these low-level demons as she punched a few to the ground, knocking them out. A few of them gathered their senses and fled.

A group of the outdoor demons noticed Tamora's presence and surrounded her, but she simply stared them down. She didn't feel nervous at all. Just an overwhelming sense of calm. She almost felt…as though she was in her element, fighting off demons like this. As they charged, she punched and kicked, knocking them all down in a matter of seconds.

That was when all of the other demons took notice of her and attacked all together. Still Tamora felt nothing. It was amazing what she was suddenly capable of, but none of it fazed her. Still completely cool, using her fist and feet, she knocked or forced away all the remaining demons in just under five minutes.

Tamora looked around nonchalantly, observing the mess of demons surrounding her feet. Some came to their senses and ran, but most were still knocked out. _That was too easy_, she thought. _I bet the others aren't even relying on their demonic powers for this. They probably only need five percent, or even less._ But since she was done, she figured she should go inside and spy on Hiei, even though she knew she wouldn't learn anything new from it. She wanted to at least be able to tell the Doctor that she'd done something.

Quietly, she tiptoed inside. The room was filled with desks and chairs knocked all over the place from the horde of demons rushing around and from the fight. She easily hid herself under a desk near the door. The desk kept her body hidden in shadow, yet she was still able to peak through the bottom to see the fighting.

Yusuke was punching and kicking about. So was Kuwabara, as if he was in the midst of a street brawl with some other junior high school punks. At one point someone nailed his wrist. Catalyn rushed over, placed a hand over the wound, and with a dim glow, it was fixed. She, too, fought with her fists and feet, in a very polished martial arts style. Kurama, on the other hand, slashed at demons with his rose whip, causing Tamora to wonder if he ever used his fists for combat. He spun the whip in a circle, shredding any demon that tried to approach.

That left Hiei. His movements were a blur to her; he was that fast. Still, she could ever so slightly make out a few punches he was landing here or there. Taking into consideration how much of a fast fighter he was, she was surprised that she could actually follow some of his movements, even if they were nothing but blurs.

Soon enough, the fight ended and the remaining demons scampered away. The Spirit Detectives spoke in low voices for a bit. During this time, Tamora knew she'd have to take care of one last thing: sneaking out, back through the portal, without anyone noticing. Which would be hard.

She was about to inch away when she heard: "Well, someone thought I wouldn't be able to tell that they were here…_again_."

She stopped dead. _Hiei_, she thought.

His footsteps drew closer and closer to the desk. "Get out," he ordered. She'd been caught.

Why did Hiei always have to spoil everything? Tamora hated him for it (though she already hated him anyways). He repeated, "Get out, baka onna. It's not like I can't see you hiding under there. And I can hear your breathing, however light you try to make it. Out. Now."

With a scowl, Tamora slowly stood up. Her brain was working furiously, and she quickly decided on a plan of action. If that couldn't get her out of this, nothing would…

The gang looked surprised to see her, especially Kuwabara. He yipped, "What are you doing here?"

She frowned at him but made no reply. "I think we'd all like to know the answer to that question," Kurama said calmly.

Her eyes narrowed. Finally she answered, "I snuck through the portal after you. Got a problem with that?"

"Well, yeah," Yusuke said, looking mildly pissed off, "seeing as you're nothing but a regular human and shouldn't be here!"

"Koenma gave me some freedom, so I don't see why I wouldn't be allowed to come," she retorted coolly. "Besides…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something dart her way. Quickly she reached out with her left arm and snatched a grey demon by the neck and kicked him in his sensitive spot. He fell to the ground limply as she let go. "…you could use my assistance."

Kuwabara stared in awe, amazed that the power of her kick could beat a demon into insensitivity. Yusuke protested, "You have a broken arm! You can't fight!"

Tamora scowled at him. "Take a look outside."

They left the building, only to be greeted by a swarm of limp demon bodies. A few were getting up and running away. They stared in shock. "You sure it wasn't you, Hiei?" Yusuke asked. Hiei glared and shook his head slightly. "But how could –"

"Too complicated to process through your thick head?" Tamora sneered. "_I_ did this."

"But you have a broken arm!" Kuwabara protested, being the second person to use that excuse. "And you're not even scratched!"

Monotonously, she replied, "What can I say? I guess it's a skill."

Catalyn finally spoke: "But you must know that not every mission will be like this. There are so many life-risking battles. You can't handle this kind of stuff, especially if you don't let me heal your arm –"

"How many times must I say that I don't want your stupid powers rubbing off on me?" Tamora interrupted.

"They will if you fight with us," Yusuke pointed out.

"That's different," she replied. "So, do I get my answer?"

"I think we'd best leave that decision to Koenma," Kurama said.

_Reasonable enough, _thought Tamora. _At least I got out of trouble. I don't really want to fight demons all the time, but it's the perfect opportunity to spy on Hiei._

…

"Absolutely not!" Koenma stated firmly. "You've got a broken arm –" Tamora glared at him, hearing that excuse for the fourth time that day "– and mere fighting will get you nowhere! With no other special skill, you'll fall victim to demonic powers that could prove to be fatal! There's no way you can join them!"

"Be that way, then," Tamora said. "I'm outta here." And she left Koenma's office, leaving him pinching his cheeks in exasperation.

…

A few hours later, Tamora was wandering the halls once again and found herself in front of a door labelled "Training Room". She poked her head inside. The room was large and divided into many sections. Swords lined the racks on the wall, and numerous punching bags hung from the ceiling near one end. There were many different sections, complete with different apparatuses, but one stood out: in the center of it all, a battle arena.

Catalyn was there, practicing with a bokuto. She jabbed at the air, mixing her moves with kicks, punches, or even flips. Tamora found herself staring. She hadn't known Catalyn could use weapons. Then again, she still didn't know much about the gang in general.

After looking around some more, Tamora warily lifted a sword from the rack. It felt awkward in her left hand, but it was her first time wielding a sword, after all. Hoping she didn't look stupid, she made a forward jab, then jumped back and dropped the sword in shock.

Whatever she'd done, it had been no ordinary jab. Somehow, it had transformed into something much more complicated, something she couldn't even begin to describe.

She quickly lifted the sword and replaced it on the rack. Then she hurried away. She heard Catalyn call her name, but she ignored it. She just went straight to her room and shut the door behind her.

…

That night, Tamora was going over a math problem when a sheet of paper slid under the door. She went to go read it. It said:

_I talked to Koenma, and he agreed to let you join on the next mission. I saw that move you pulled with the sword earlier, and I told him about it. Hiei likes to use his sword, so you'll be like him. And we can always cover for you. You'll get the details tomorrow after breakfast. See you then! –Catalyn_

Tamora crushed the paper and threw it in the waste bin. "So it worked," she muttered to herself. "Now I'll be spying on Hiei from up close, and he won't even know it. Doctor will be pleased."

And sure enough, he was.

"That's excellent news!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "And you've discovered a skill with swords! And by fighting demons, your demonic awareness will definitely increase on its own. You won't need my vaccine after all. This is excellent for our planning."

Tamora's opinion on her new job as a spy had changed drastically since that event in the training room. She looked him directly in the glasses. "Train me."

He stared for a second, trying to register what she'd said. "What's that?"

"Train me with swords," she ordered. "I want to get stronger."

Doctor Clone gave a wicked grin. "Of course, Tamora," he simpered. "We can even start right this very instant."

And so, through a good portion of the night, Tamora sparred against a clone swordfighter. Even though her real body wasn't there, it would still be trained through Doctor Clone's strange ways. It was hard, and some blood was shed, but Tamora kept going. All through the training, Doctor Clone played the same phrase over and over on some sort of tape recorder, to keep her in the mood: "Cool, calm, collected… Cool, calm, collected…" Through all the sweat and the weariness, Tamora still kept going. She didn't stop. She wouldn't stop. Not until she was stronger…


	8. Chapter 8

I'm BA-ACK!!!! Okay, you're probably all thinking things along the lines of "about time!" or something like that. I'm sorry. Schoolwork piled up, then there were Christmas exams, and then I was away for the holidays in Barbados, which, I might add, was beautiful. But now I'm back. So I'll make this quick, so as not to render you too impatient.

Thank yous:  
Vitanie Tora: I really hope that, by the time you read this, you feel much better!  
arrowgirl23: Nope, Tamora has no demonic or spirit awareness. At this point, up until now, she can see the demons because they are not suppressing their aura so much that they are no longer visible. Basically, she's being spoonfed.  
Yumiko-san: Thanks as always for the review!  
RedRoseInADarkAlley: WOW. Love it!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Hope you enjoy this one!  
Psyco Anime Luver: Thank you!!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own YYH...you know what I own and what I don't. Remember, five reviews before the next update at least!

Before we begin, I just want to share with everyone what RedRoseInADarkAlley wrote in her review of the previous chapter, because it holds great meaning and I want to share how much I love and appreciate it.

_Three elements define the users from the used  
Cool calm and collected  
Allows them to use their rage, skill and power  
Rather than let them be used by them_

Thanks again!!! And, without further ado, the next chapter!

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT – A NEW TOURNAMENT

The next morning, Tamora awoke feeling sore all over. To top that off, her body was a mass of bruises from being knocked over or hit with the Doctor's blunt practice swords. Thankfully, her face was unscathed, so she was sure she'd be able to hide her wounds from the Spirit Detectives. She dressed into her school uniform as always, but with much difficulty. Swearing under her breath when she found it hard to walk out of the room as if nothing hurt, she left for Koenma's office.

Kurama, Hiei, and Catalyn were already there, but Yusuke and Kuwabara were not. "Good morning," Catalyn said with a smile. Tamora did not acknowledge her. It was taking every ounce of strength and concentration to keep herself from showing she was sore.

A few minutes late, Yusuke and Kuwabara both entered, looking like they'd just woken up without taking the time to brush their hair. Kuwabara was looking particularly bad. _Disgusting_, Tamora thought.

Koenma cleared his throat. "Okay, kids, here's your new mission. It's pretty simple when you think about it, but I'm absolutely positive that complications will arise. A tough group of demons has challenged Spirit World for part of the land we control in the Makai. These demons were the ones pulling the strings on the weaklings you fought yesterday. They have proposed a small tournament to determine who will win control. They've also invited six other groups of demons to take part, meaning there will be eight competing teams in all. Your mission is to win the tournament so that we can keep our land. They've already sent us their rules: teams must have six members, and the battles will be four one-on-one matches. You must alternate, otherwise you're disqualified. If ties occur, there will be an all-out battle royale where the first team to beat a member of the opposite team wins. I've arranged for you to stay at a nearby hotel, since you will be fighting one match a day and rest will be mandatory. Is everyone clear?"

Heads bobbed throughout the room. Koenma gazed around the room with his baby head held high, apparently satisfied. "All right," he said. "The first match is scheduled for tomorrow, but you'll have to leave this afternoon so that you may attend the opening ceremonies, which, I might add, are mandatory."

Tamora groaned inwardly (_I _hate_ social events_, she thought in disgust), while Kuwabara did so out loud. "I don't care about no stinking ceremonies," he muttered.

"Yukina will be there," Koenma incited, his grin hidden by his pacifier.

He perked up instantly. "Well, then," he declared, flexing his muscles, "I must be there to act as her escort in the name of love!"

Tamora rolled her eyes, staring at him. _Pathetic imbecile._

While Kuwabara was busy cheering, Catalyn leaned over and whispered in Tamora's ear, "Yukina is Hiei's twin sister, but Kuwabara has no idea. He's madly in love with her." Not that Tamora needed to hear that. She knew already.

"The opening ceremonies will be in the hotel's reception hall, beginning at 5pm," Koenma stated. "I'll be stopping by as well, to oversee some things."

After giving everyone an hour to eat breakfast and prepare, Koenma created the portal. They leaped through, landing in the lobby of their hotel. It was spacious with marble flooring and trees in the corners, but otherwise quite plain. They checked in with an inhuman-seeming person with odd gleaming eyes and pointed ears at the front desk and departed in the elevator to the fourteenth floor.

"Did you know that hotels have no thirteenth floor because they think it's bad luck?" Kuwabara gushed in a near whisper as they rose higher and higher. "So they skip it. But technically, this fourteenth floor is really the thirteenth! So we're on the bad luck floor, where all the monsters lurk!"

Catalyn gave him a good hard _thunk!_ on the head, and rightly so, for he was annoying everyone.

"Oh, please," she said. "Like we all believe in that stupid superstition."

Yusuke grinned. "If anything, it'll make our stay here a bit more interesting," he offered.

"Yes," agreed Kurama. "We won't be able to sleep soundly…"

"…with Kuwabara freaking out in the night," Catalyn finished with a snicker.

They reached their floor and proceeded to their room situated at the end of the hall, labeled 1413. ("Double unlucky!!!" exclaimed Kuwabara with a terrified gasp.) Kurama was designated as the keeper of the keys, and so he unlocked the door and was the first to step in. Tamora would have been the last if Kuwabara had not still been pointing at the sign in shock. But when they all stepped inside, they all had to feel at least a little impressed with Koenma's arrangements.

It wasn't an ordinary room, but a suite. Complete with a kitchen, lounging area, a bathroom and three two-bed bedrooms, it was everything they could have asked for and more. The kitchen was spacious, with cupboards, a stove, oven, dishwasher, and fridge lining two sides of the wall, and a large table was placed in the middle. The other two sides were left open, but while one connected to the hallway, the other was connected to the lounging room, separated only by a nice counter. The lounging area was complete with comfortable leather sofas, a TV, and an old Nintendo game console. There was also a small table in the middle with a lovely flowered centerpiece. Each of the bedrooms contained two double beds, each with their own night table, mirror on the wall, and lounging chair, and they shared a closet. Even Tamora had to admit that it looked pretty professional.

The rooming pairs were decided easily: obviously, the two girls would room together, and Hiei refused to room with anyone but Kurama, which paired the two human boys together. No one objected, and soon everyone was settled in, if not wandering around the room, exploring what the room service offered, what channels the TV played, or what hid beneath the kitchen cupboards.

Tamora simply lay on the duvet of her chosen bed, the one closest to a window and furthest from the door. At one point, Catalyn, who'd been conversing with Kurama, asked if she wanted to join the group in a game of poker. Tamora refused, and Catalyn didn't press the issue.

Catalyn returned after an hour, having lost all her chips (Yusuke had brought a case full of beer bottle caps, courtesy of his mom). Kurama and Yusuke had also lost, leaving Kuwabara and Hiei, both of whom were suspected of cheating. Either way, their grudge match continued.

"You know," she said, "the dress code tonight is semi-formal. I brought some extra kimonos from Spirit World for you to try on, since I figured you didn't have anything else with you besides your school uniform."

"No thanks," Tamora replied coolly. "I don't wear kimonos."

"But this is practically mandatory," Catalyn protested. "It's that or a dress of your choice, and I think I'm right in guessing you don't own any dresses."

"Good for you," replied Tamora tonelessly. "But I'll stay as I am."

In the end, no one succeeded in swaying her opinion. She wasn't the only one who refused to dress up, for Hiei had decided against it as well. Catalyn dressed in a brown kimono with a lovely pattern of red, orange, yellow, purple, and green leaves. She'd also let her hair loose, something Tamora had never seen from her before. Yusuke wore a shirt with a lopsided tie. Kurama wore the same, but he at least looked presentable. As for Kuwabara…well, if Tamora had felt any emotion, it would have been embarrassment for knowing him. Clad in a white tux, he had tried, perhaps too hard, too slick his hair back, but he'd obviously been unable, as the gel stuck to his head in odd clumps. It almost made her want to puke.

The reception hall was well lit, with chandeliers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. Rows of tables paved the way to a small stage with two loudspeakers, from which ballroom music played. It would have seemed normal enough…that is, if the majority of the participants weren't demons. To Tamora, they all looked like monsters, save for a group that looked remotely human. She eyed every demon closely, sizing them up.

_This should provide me with excellent training,_ she decided. She took a mental note to watch out for one of the more uglier demons – she sensed something odd about him. Was it demonic energy? She didn't know. She'd never sensed that kind of stuff before. She also noticed that her soreness was quickly fading. She was healing fast, which was all the better for her.

"YUKINA!" yelled Kuwabara's voice from across the room, somewhat startling her. "Oh, sweet love! We're reunited at long last!"

Tamora turned to see him racing past her, to the demon girl standing close behind: Yukina. Tamora didn't have to witness Kuwabara kneeling before her, gazing up at her reverently with hearts in his eyes and clasping her delicate hands in his bony ones, to know it was her. Dressed in her usual kimono (for she had seen a picture of her in Doctor Clone's notes), Yukina's spring green hair was let loose, curling gently over her round shoulders.

She smiled kindly, albeit looking a bit confused, causing Kuwabara to blush. "It's good to see you too, Kazuma," she replied.

Tamora looked back at Catalyn with an expression that plainly asked, _Is this for real?_ Catalyn held back a giggle and nodded in Hiei's direction. Tamora followed her gaze to find the little youkai glowering. _Ha,_ she thought with a smirk. _So it's true. What a pathetic weak spot for a demon like him._

A short while later, Koenma, along with Botan, entered the hall, in the form not of a toddler but of a grown teenager. Tamora groaned when she saw that he still sucked on his pacifier. They sat down just in time for the opening speech.

The announcer, though a demon, looked pretty much human, with long, graying hair and dressed in a white suit and top hat. He hobbled onto the stage with a cane that surprisingly doubled as a mike.

"Attention all demons – and special human guests – gathered here tonight!" he yelled in the deep, booming voice of a professional commentator. "It is with uttermost delight that I welcome you all here this evening. As of tomorrow, a very special tournament is beginning. It will be a terrible struggle, a struggle to gain control over Spirit World land. No doubt you will all strive to succeed and be the best you can be, and so I bid you good fortune and good luck in making this tournament a success! So, without further ado, I declare the tournament officially open!"

Following this statement, the room exploded into cheers and whoops. The announcer bowed and took his leave, shuffling away. Loud techno music played, and hordes of people rushed to the stage to dance. Tamora witnessed Kuwabara literally dragging Yukina off to dance with him, occasionally trampling over her poor little feet. Hiei looked hard at a corner, looking positively lethal. Yusuke laughed. Catalyn, Kurama, Koenma, and Botan all made their way to dance as well.

"Idiots, all of them," Tamora muttered to herself, and she turned around just as someone moved to lightly tap her shoulder, finding herself face-to-face with the grey-haired announcer. "What is it?" she snapped.

"May I have a word with you, young lady?" he asked, his deep voice honeyed.

"No," she said shortly, and she turned her back on him and briskly strode out the hall. She continued at this pace until she had exited the hotel. Spotting a tree near the entrance, she climbed up, hidden from the racket in its soothing leaves and branches. She stared in silence at the full moon, whose milky light paved a path into the grassy distance.

"Come now, don't run away." Tamora looked down to see the same demon staring up at her expectantly. She slipped off the branch and landed gracefully in front of him.

"What do you want?" she asked in a bored tone, brushing herself off.

"A word, if I may?"

This demon obviously would not be shaken off easily. Tamora sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Okay, this chapter was pretty calm, but I needed a little break. I'm still getting used to cold air instead of sun everywhere... I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. Remember, five reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Back on track at last! Well, not really. I already had the whole fic up to this point planned out, and then I skipped the whole tournament and planned out the ending. So basically, I still have a lot of plotting and planning to do, so it may take a while for the next few chapters to come out. I hope you can bear with me.

Thank yous:  
arrowgirl23: You don't have to wait any longer!  
Vitanie Tora: You've got a sharp mind. It's funny, actually, since I knew that would be the issue with Tamora fighting. You'll see how she handles it!  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Aw, shucks, thankies! I'm glad you enjoy my fighting scenes. I try to make them good. And hey, you can't use that as a threat! What would your other readers do?  
AuroraNin: Thanks very much!!! To answer your question, I don't think a person can go through a long story like mine and not go through some sort of change. Whether it's for the better or for worse, however, I will not say.  
Thunder Ring: Well, here it is! Now you'll know!  
AnonymousWritings: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like Tamora. It's nice to hear from new reviewers!  
Psyco Anime Luver: Heh heh, thanks.

**Disclaimer:** I have no ownage of YYH whatsoever, except for the things I do in fact own. You know what. If you're really picky, see the first few disclaimers. I'm lazy.

* * *

CHAPTER NINE – AMBUSH

The announcer led Tamora away from the hotel and into a nearby forest. She followed at a bit of a distance behind him, twigs and branches crunching beneath her feet as she walked.

The announcer looked back over his shoulder. "You know, there are demons in this forest. You should stay close, so that I may defend you."

"I can defend myself," Tamora snapped, eyeing the darkness past the trees surrounding her suspiciously.

"Yes," the announcer agreed quietly. "Yes, I believe you can."

Tamora stopped. The announcer, not hearing any more footsteps, stopped and turned.

"What are you playing at?" she asked him calmly.

He seemed to search for the right thing to say. "I mean no harm," he said. "I just want to talk." Tamora raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Look, I don't want to be overheard," the announcer said quickly. "Please, just follow me."

Tamora sighed and continued to follow him. _If he tries anything, I'll beat him to a pulp,_ she decided.

They reached a clearing. The announcer faced her from the other end. All was quiet, except for the rustling of the leaves in a gentle, but somewhat eerie, breeze.

"So," Tamora said, "what is it that you want to tell me, but can't be overheard?"

"I have a request," the announcer said, drawing himself up. "You see, I'm onto your ruse."

Tamora stared at him. "Ruse," she muttered, her voice layered with disbelief.

"Yes, ruse!" the announcer insisted. "You are a master of suppressing your aura, aren't you? I saw you with your friends. I could tell they were all suppressing their aura, but I couldn't sense anything from you. I'm not stupid. You wouldn't be able to survive if you had none. So that only leaves one option." His eyes narrowed, and he smiled eagerly. "So, what is it? Spiritual awareness? Or perhaps demonic powers?" His eyes gleamed. "I must know."

Tamora stared at him for a long time. She didn't know what to say. If she told him the truth, no doubt she'd be left vulnerable. What should she answer?

"Both," she said finally. "I have both. I must say I'm impressed." A total lie, but she had to give him something.

"Ah." The announcer nodded, as if that was exactly as he expected. "Now, then," he said, "show me."

Tamora frowned at him. "Wait till the tournament starts, and maybe you'll see."

But the announcer shook his head. "No, that won't do," he said with a small smile.

It happened so fast that Tamora barely had the time to react. His expression completely unchanging, he suddenly charged, punching at her face. If she hadn't stiffened and pulled to the side when she had, the punch would have connected with her nose. She felt the air whiz past her as she dodged.

Suddenly, her cheek prickled annoying. It stung, and something felt wet. Reaching two fingers to her face, she traced a long cut down her right cheek. Looking back at her fingers, she saw blood.

She glared at the announcer. His expression still hadn't changed. "I'll ask you again," she said. "What are you playing at?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied. "I want to know of your abilities. You've seen my weapon now. Show me yours."

But of course, the announcer had no idea that Tamora couldn't see his weapon. In fact, she had no idea how he'd managed to hit her when she'd definitely dodged his punch. She remembered the data on Kuwabara's weapon, and how he could channel his aura into a sword. She suspected the announcer was using a similar technique. The question remained, though: what is his weapon, exactly? Judging by the cut, it was something sharp, something that projected from his fist. It wasn't an aura punch, like Yusuke's. That much she knew. Yusuke fired his aura like punches, not like actual weapons. It was a good thing she'd read through all of Doctor Clone's information on the Spirit Detectives, otherwise she'd be completely stuck.

Suddenly, the announcer charged again. This time, Tamora was ready. She pulled back even farther as he aimed for her left cheek.

She stepped back gracefully, and her cheek prickled. She felt the cut. It bled, but it would close easily. It was very shallow.

Both sides of his fists bore some sort of aura weapon. Was it circular, perhaps? Judging by how deep her cuts were, it was about fifteen centimeters in radius, if in fact it was a circle. Maybe it was only three quarters of a circle, covering the front and sides of his fist. Yes, that made sense. Now to see if that was true.

"Aren't you going to attack again?" she asked the announcer tonelessly.

His smile still hadn't faded. "Perhaps," he said, and he was gone in a flash.

But Tamora was ready for him. He threw another punch, but she had already ducked. Springing back up, she grabbed his wrist with her good hand. Her thumb brushed against the aura weapon, and she realized that it was a circular blade, and that he clenched the hilt in his fist.

"You'll need more than that to best me," she warned him.

And then his other fist was upon her.

Left without hardly any time for reaction, she instinctively brought her other arm up in front of her face, and the aura blade deflected onto her cast and then upwards. Gritting her teeth from the pain in her arm, she aimed a high kick for his jaw. She released her grip on his wrist, and flung him back with a powerful kick to the stomach. He flew through the air and landed on his side in the dirt.

"C-curse you," muttered the announcer, shakily bringing himself to stand again. "I didn't expect to have to reveal my true identity to you. Oh well. It doesn't matter anyways. It's not like you'll live to tell of it. Even with your power, you'll be rendered helpless!"

A black flash moved between them. The announcer gulped, his eyes wide. Sweat beaded down his face. Poking into the back of his neck was a shining katana. The wielder was Hiei.

"Get out of here," Hiei commanded, "or you will not live to see the tournament through."

Without another word, the announcer, trembling from head to toe, dashed away and into the darkness of the woods.

Tamora had to admit, it was good riddance to see the announcer gone, but she was even more displeased to see Hiei there. "Why did you come?" she demanded. "I was doing fine on my own."

Hiei stared at her, hard. "Baka onna," he said. "You had no idea what you were doing."

"I did, as a matter of fact," Tamora stated. "Just because I couldn't see his weapon didn't mean that I was helpless. I had him on the ropes."

"Even through that bit where he said he'd show you his true form?"

"That was a bluff," she said with certainty. "He's a pathetic coward."

"A coward, indeed," Hiei agreed with a glare. "But you would have died."

"You lie."

There was another flash of black, and Hiei was behind her, his sword at her throat. "If it weren't for that fool Koenma, you'd be long dead," he said ferociously, with such bloodlust that Tamora felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, or perhaps it was from the cool steel on her skin.

Tamora couldn't help herself, however, when she retorted, "Yes, yes, you would have killed me the moment you saw me. Bet you regret that."

"You have no idea," Hiei growled. The blade scraped her skin.

"So why didn't you let him kill me, if that's what you wanted?"

There was a pause. Hiei sheathed his sword, and Tamora turned to face him, feeling the cut on her neck lightly.

"I was trying to get away from the noise in that pathetic hotel. I come here, and he's yelling like he could rule the world. It annoyed me."

"Hmph," Tamora said with a smirk. She already knew why Hiei had come to her aid, and wanted to see if he would admit it. His response had been just as valid, considering the way he was, but she knew better. If he'd let her die, Koenma would lengthen his sentence in Spirit World. And not only that, but without a six fighter in the tournament, the Spirit Detectives would be kicked out.

She almost enjoyed the idea that the others had to keep her safe. It was almost like they were her slaves. Okay, no. Not really. But still…she hadn't wanted Hiei to interfere. It was her first battle against the unknown, and no doubt there would be more. It would have been nice to practice some more.

"Hn." Hiei turned away. "Now follow me. We're going back."

"Whatever," Tamora replied dully, but she followed him all the same.

Later that night, the Spirit Detectives and Tamora gathered in the lounging room of 1413 for a sort of team powwow. Tamora hadn't wanted to take part, but they had to determine who would sit out which matches for the tournament, and Kurama and Catalyn wanted to come prepared. Neither Hiei nor Tamora had mentioned the event in the woods, and luckily, the cuts on her cheeks had closed easily. As for her slit cast, however, she didn't know what to do, so she wore a sweater to cover the damage. She'd deal with it later.

Koenma and Botan had returned to Spirit World for the night, and Yukina had also left, promising she'd be back the next day to watch their first match, with a pleasant surprise in tow. Now it was just the six of them.

"So," Kurama said, commencing the discussion, "There are three rounds. Eight teams begin the first round, while four move on. In the second round, we start with four and end with two. Finally, the third round. In other words, the finals."

"I'm definitely fighting the last round," Yusuke declared.

"Same here," said Hiei.

"Me too!" chimed Kuwabara and Catalyn. They frowned at each other. "Then what about Kurama?"

Kurama chuckled. "Let's go over this rationally. Tamora, of course, will sit out the final round, since it will be hardest on her. Yusuke and Hiei will sit out the first round. This leaves Kuwabara, Catalyn, and I."

"We need you for the finals, Kurama," Yusuke told him.

"I agree!" chanted Kuwabara and Catalyn. They looked at each other, knowing that one of them would not end up fighting in the finals. They scowled.

"And I know Catalyn's a capable and great fighter and all, but I've known Kuwabara longer," Yusuke added. "He can be a lame asshole sometimes, but he comes through when it counts."

Kuwabara looked like he didn't know whether or not to take it as a compliment.

Catalyn, on the other hand, glared at Yusuke. "Oh, so that's it? I'm capable, but not good enough for you?" she seethed.

Kurama, sensing the tension in the air, held up his hands. "We don't have to decide now," he said. "The first round is settled, so we can wait until we've done a bit of scouting first before deciding."

They both nodded in agreement. Hiei hned. Yusuke spoke his consent as well. Tamora, on the other hand, remained silent. She knew it would end up coming to this, but at this point it no longer mattered to her. Watching Hiei perform in the finals, a match sure to be extraordinary, would give her a great deal of information to report to Doctor Clone. Things were working out just as they'd hoped.

That night, Tamora trained with Doctor Clone again, with only the sounds of eventual clanging swords and the drone of, "Cool, calm, collected…" ringing in her ears. When at last Doctor Clone decided it was enough for the night, he handed her a tiny black earpiece, resembling a cordless earphone.

"What do you want me to do with this?" she asked monotonously.

The Doctor indicated a small red button on its outside. "This is the switch. I've programmed it to react to your touch only, or rather, to your fingerprints." He stopped.

Tamora instantly knew it was not just a simple pause. "Answer my question," she repeated in the same tone. "What do you want me to do with this?"

He smiled, the eerie green light gleaming on his glasses. "Try it and see," he said. "Wear it every night, whenever you sleep, all night long. Trust me, it will help you."

Tamora frowned at him. "Help, me, will it?"

"Oh, yes," he nodded vigorously. He held out his hand, as if showing her to an imaginary door in the dank chamber. "Well, I mustn't keep you here all night," he said, "what with the first match tomorrow and everything. I'll see you again tomorrow evening. Until then –" He waved his hand, and Tamora awoke.

She sat up in her bed. She had not changed her position since first falling asleep, and Catalyn was in a deep slumber in the bed next to her. With a quiet sigh, Tamora fitted the earpiece in her left ear and clicked the button. A voice spoke, quiet and serene, repeating the same message over and over. "Cool, calm, collected… Cool, calm, collected…"

Tamora gave a start. _Is he trying to brainwash me?_ Jabbing her finger into her ear, the voice abruptly stopped. Tamora yanked it out and slammed it on the night table.

At the sound, Catalyn bolted up. She looked at Tamora, her golden eyes alert. "Something happen?" she asked.

Tamora paused. "No," she muttered. "I banged my hand, that's all."

"Ah." Catalyn snuggled back under the covers. "Sleep well. Your first fight is tomorrow. I can't wait to see you win."

Tamora waited a few minutes before lying back down. She fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Alrighty!!! I'm upping the review count since I'm doing well...so now, six reviews at least before I update!!!


	10. Chapter 10

AAAAAAHHH! GOMEN NASAI, MINNA-SAN!!! I'm so so so terribly sorry, and you may hate me all you want for taking so long, because my laziness is entirely to blame and therefore it is my fault and I will stand and take whatever insults you throw at me. I feel terrible for making you wait so long...I hope this makes up for it, at least a little.

Thank yous:  
Vitanie Tora: I don't think the review count is what's going to drive people insane...it's me and my stupid laziness. Thanks for the review Tora-chan!  
arrowgirl23: Thanks very much, I'm glad you like it.  
Thunder Ring: I'm not saying anything, tee hee. Hope you like the fights.  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: Grrr...nah nah, it's all good, I will still follow your story come summer! I love Tamora's calculations too, heh heh.  
Yumiko-san: No problem, I love helping people!  
Tawariell: Well...the next chappie is up now, considering you'd be reading this. :)  
Psyco Anime Luver: Thanks!  
AuroraNin: I'm glad Tamora is growing on you. Hope you like this fight!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, but you know what I do own... Remember, six reviews before the next update (and I won't be super lazy this time).

Oh, one more thing before we start: The beginning of this chapter is total crap, so I hope the fight scene makes up for it. I had to tie it together somehow, and...my mind wasn't very into it until the fight scene. Hope you understand.

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CHAPTER TEN – ROUND ONE

Tamora awoke at the crack of dawn. Catalyn was still asleep, her face pressed against the pillow with a small smile. She stood, yawned, stretched, and left the bedroom. She paused at each of the bedroom doors, which were both closed. She could hear two distinct loud snores from one room that could only belong to Yusuke and Kuwabara. When she pressed her ear against Kurama and Hiei's door, she could faintly hear light breathing. Looking around the place, she realized that nothing had been moved around. She was the first one up.

She unzipped the sweater she'd been wearing to cover her broken cast and observed the damage. She would probably be able to hide it with some adhesive tape, if she could only find some. Conveniently, she found some in one of the kitchen cupboards under the sink. She fixed up the cast and stared at it. Finally she decided it would have to do.

Next, she lifted her broken arm up and down slightly. She blinked. It still pained her. It throbbed a little from the movement it had gone through the previous night, but it would be easy enough to ignore. She wished it would just heal already.

Tamora felt a slight unrest in her stomach. She opened the fridge and found some bran blueberry muffins in little plastic bags. She took one and leisurely munched on it, throwing out the bag. She sighed. It was so boring here.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She'd been feeling like this for a little while now, and it wasn't like her. She didn't like it, either. She quickly but quietly headed for the door, opened it, and exited the room, closing the door again behind her.

She strode down the hall towards the elevator. She reached with her left hand to press the button labeled with an arrow pointing downwards.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Tamora's fingers twitched, pushing on the upwards button, and she whipped around to face Hiei. Again.

She sighed. "Oh, so it's you."

Hiei frowned at her, leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. There was a strange sort of glint in his eyes, but then again, he always glared like that. "Go back to the room," he said. "I did not come here to babysit you."

There was a high bell-like ring, and the elevator doors opened. They were empty.

"Then don't," Tamora told him coolly. "I'm not your prisoner."

"Tell that to Koenma."

The elevator doors closed again, but Tamora didn't care anymore. Somehow, just that brief exchange with Hiei had calmed her, and she felt more like herself again. She turned her back to him and strode back to the room.

Within half an hour, everyone else had woken up. Tamora felt the color drain from her face when she looked at Kuwabara's ugly, sleepy face, and she forced herself to look at the ground for ten minutes straight.

Finally, everyone had washed up and was ready to head to the tournament arena. Yusuke and Kuwabara were both wearing torn t-shirts and pants. Hiei wore his black cloak as always, and Kurama was wearing a new green and white outfit. Catalyn wore her usual fighting gear (which she wore pretty much all the time anyways), and Tamora kept her uniform. She refused to wear clothes from Spirit World, so it would have to do.

They left the hotel and walked through a path in the woods, different from where Tamora had been the night before with the announcer, and after about ten minutes, they found themselves staring up at a large dome that seemed to be made of giant bones. Tamora frowned at it, ignoring the comments her teammates made, and they made their way through a growing crowd of demons and marched through the door.

There to greet them was none other than the announcer himself. He gave Tamora a honeyed smile, and then faced the rest. "Good morning. I trust your accommodations were comfortable."

"Yes, they were excellent, thank you," Kurama said, speaking what the others would not. No one else had manners like his.

The announcer gave Tamora another look. "Well, the fight before yours is just about to finish, and there will be a quick five-minute clean up before you are announced," he told them. "Just go through the door on your left here, and you can wait in the wings until it's time." He indicated the hallway before them, and a door a bit further down.

"Thank you," Kurama said, and Yusuke led them through the door.

"Good luck," the announcer called. "I look forward to seeing your fight. It will surely be an entertaining one."

While they waited in the wings, the gang discussed strategy.

"We shouldn't go up there to fight with a specific fighting order," Catalyn said. "We want to be able to match our opponents as best as possible. Especially in Tamora's case, we need to make sure her opponent isn't insanely powerful. I'll sniff out a good lowlife for her."

"A good idea," Kurama said. "I'll assist you with that."

A horn sounded somewhere. "And now, for our next big match-up!" a female voice yelled into a microphone somewhere. "It's Team Clownabout versus the winners of the Dark Tournament, none other than Team Urameshi!"

Yusuke grinned. "I love hearing my name!" he said, and they marched out of the wings and into the bright stadium lights.

The battle ring was huge, and took up most of the floor space, leaving room for sidelines. Surrounding it were the stands, filled with demons of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many were booing and cheering and yelling things Tamora couldn't quite make out, but they sounded suspiciously like insults.

There, across from the ring, facing them, was Team Clownabout. All six members were dressed in different clown outfits. One of them resembled more of a mime. The clowns were of all sorts of shapes. One was large and fat and almost the size of a house, another wall tall and skinny (and seemed to be walking on stilts), one was quite short, and the other two were pretty much average-sized, and their outfits bore mix-matching colors. Tamora figured they were twins. They all wore sick smiles pasted on their faces.

Standing on the ring was Koto, the feline announcer from the Dark Tournament. She held the microphone up and spoke: "Team captains, come forward and announce your spares!"

Yusuke, with a leisurely hop, stepped up and faced the mime. Yusuke pointed at Hiei. "He and I are sitting out this one," he said.

"And you, Mr. Mime?" Koto asked.

The mime looked back and pointed. The twin clowns nodded.

"They sat out their weakest fighters for this round," Catalyn noted. "The next weakest would be the fat one, it seems." She turned to Kurama. "What do you think?"

"I'd have to agree," Kurama said, "although I'm guessing brute strength is his asset here. That may prove to be rough."

"I'll manage," Tamora said coolly. "Brute strength is nothing."

"But you have no weapon," Catalyn objected. "That's another issue. Fists and feet won't do it for this one; he's way too big. The little one would be best to use that kind of thing on, but from what I'm sensing, it would be hard on you…"

Tamora then realized the truth in her words. She'd been training in swordplay, but she had no actual sword. Yusuke, Kurama, and Catalyn didn't normally use swords, and Kuwabara's was made of his own aura. Only Hiei used a real sword…

Hiei? Hell no.

But what other choice did she have?

She faced the youkai. "Lend me your sword," she said, as if issuing an order.

"No," Hiei said flatly, his eyes narrowing.

"You can't let her fight without a weapon!" Kuwabara protested, and Tamora realized that he'd actually been listening to their conversation.

"Yeah, Hiei, it's not like you don't have others," Catalyn pointed out.

Yusuke hopped over. "Hey guys, they're sending fatso over there out first." They looked out behind him and saw the fat clown stepping up.

Everyone stared at Hiei, who glared back. "No."

Kurama leaned over and muttered something into Hiei's ear, and Hiei stiffened. Then he tore his sheath off his belt and gave it a violent toss to Tamora. She blinked and snatched it. Whatever Kurama had told him, it must have been a good threat. She ran her fingers over the hilt, then separated the sword from its sheath. The blade glistened in the bright spotlights. She nodded in satisfaction. _This'll do_, she decided. Then she stepped forward.

"Good luck!" Catalyn called. "You're gonna do awesome!"

"I don't need your support," Tamora snapped. Without looking back, she stepped to the center, where the fat clown awaited her.

The fat clown held out a chubby hand, reaching out with short, chubby fingers. Tamora merely frowned at him.

"Okay!" Koto yelled. "Here we go! It's Big Daddy versus Tamora in round one! On my go… Three, two, one…Fight!" She leaped back, out of harm's way, and a horn sounded.

Tamora took a few steps back as a precaution, just as the Doctor told her to do. She held the sword out in front of her in the proper defensive position, but ready to strike as soon as necessary.

Big Daddy looked down at her, his fake smile gone. A large blue tear had been traced under one of his eyes. "You have poor manners," he said in a deep, rumbling voice, but it wasn't a voice of power. "That saddens me."

Tamora said nothing. Instead, she switched into an attacking mode, holding her sword out as if about to make a thrust.

"You do not acknowledge your opponent," Big Daddy continued, his voice filling with sorrow. "Again, it is a depressing thing."

He looked as though he wanted to say more, but Tamora had had enough. She felt ready. She charged forward, leaped into the air, and brought the sword down over his head.

Suddenly, a giant white fist soared up to meet her. She hurriedly stopped her swing and held the sword vertically in front of her in an attempt to block the attack, but her left arm didn't have enough force.

It all seemed like a blur to her. Suddenly there was impact, as if her body was being crushed together, and she felt her cast crack and a jolt of electrifying pain course through her arm up to her shoulder. She felt the blunt edge of her sword hit her left shoulder, and then suddenly her grip had loosened and the sword flipped over her, landing near the edge of the ring. Then she was falling, falling fast, and she was spinning, like she couldn't tell what was the ground and what was the ceiling. She hit the ground hard and rolled over her broken arm, drawing a sharp intake of breath. She stopped rolling at the edge of the ring, far away from her sword.

She was on her back. Her stomach muscles contracted, and she pulled herself into a sitting position, clutching her broken arm, which wouldn't stop throbbing no matter how much she commanded it to. She had landed on her behind, right below her tailbone, and somehow, she had escaped the fall miraculously unharmed. It was the punch that had dealt the damage. Her left wrist stung too, from the force with which the fist hit the sword in her feeble attempt to push it back. Indeed, his brute force would overpower her. She needed a strategy, and fast.

The Spirit Detectives were yelling, but she ignored them. Big Daddy was facing her. He whipped from his pocket a few face-painting crayons. In a flash, the tear on his cheek was gone, and his eyebrows had become large, black, and positioned into a permanent frown. He was glaring at her.

"You attacked before your opponent was ready," he boomed. "You wound me!"

And he charged.

Tamora barely had time to react before his fist was swinging down upon her. She instinctively somersaulted across the ground, rolling onto her feet. Then she sprinted for her sword.

"I can't let you do that," Big Daddy said, and he pulled his fist into another punch, right in front of her.

Tamora gave a small gasp and leaped back, only to meet with another fist. She ducked and ran right through the giant's legs and tried once more to reach her sword.

Again she was forced to fall back. The stadium was roaring, with Koto's commentary and the demons' yells and insults and the Spirit Detectives' cries, but the sounds barely registered in her ears. It was as if a loudspeaker had been tightly covered, muffling the sound. The sights around her were blurs, too, as if a fog had rolled in. All she could see was Big Daddy in front of her, and her sword far behind him. She had to get her sword back. But how? She was outrunning him, that was certain, and she was dodging his punches. She was in every way faster than him. But he was expertly predicting exactly where she'd be when his fist made contact, and so forcing her to retreat. Still, he seemed pretty simple-minded. If she could fool him into doing something else, she just might have a chance.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "I'm ready. Yeah."

She took off in a near sprint, running around Big Daddy's right. He saw through that instantly, like she knew he would. He punched ahead, and she jumped back and pivoted to the left. He aimed punch after punch, but Tamora leaped back and change direction, picking up speed with each dodge. Large chunks of stone flew through the air with each missed punch, and so Tamora was forced to weave in and out of these as well. Still, she did not stop. She was getting closer, and Big Daddy, for all his attacks, was retreating ever so slightly. He punched again, much closer to her than before, and she stumbled. He aimed another punch to her right, where she had been planning to escape. Her eyes darting wildly, measuring distances, she dove for cover. A smashed rock whizzed past her head.

This was it. She was getting closer… A sudden punch from Big Daddy, and Tamora leaped into action. She jumped into the air, landing on his fist after the punch, and then she hopped up his arm until she reached his shoulder. Big Daddy swung his arms around, trying to throw her off, but she clutched the frills of his costume collar tightly, balancing precariously as she made her way to the back of his neck.

Big Daddy leaned back and reached for his neck, his giant fingers trying to locate her and throw her off, but he couldn't see her. Perfect. As his fingers closed in on her, she jumped, diving through a gap. She landed on her feet and pitched forward, quickly bringing up her good arm for support. Still, she was smirking with satisfaction.

She had reached her sword.

Big Daddy was still yelling, trying to find her, unaware that she was no longer there. It was the perfect opportunity. Without a word, she leaped back up towards the back of his neck and gave her sword two good, solid swings. Blood spurted into her, and she coughed and covered her face with her arm as she fell back down. Two large shadows fell over her, falling to meet her, and she dove out of the ring. There was an almighty crash, resulting in a shower of rocks to spray everywhere, scattering dust over the ring, and a terrible, howling cry, followed by a thud that shook the entire foundations of the stadium.

The dust cleared, and Tamora removed her arm from in front of her face. Big Daddy was on his elbows and knees, moaning and crying in pain. His arms were no more than mere bleeding stubs, for his hands had been severed, lying behind him.

Koto began a count of ten, and the stadium erupted. Tamora realized where she was standing and quickly stepped back up on the ring, carefully avoiding the blood on the ground around her.

"…Ten! That's it!" Koto yelled. "Big Daddy stayed down, and Tamora came back up! She wins the first round!"


	11. Chapter 11

Ello everybody! Thanks for still sticking with me (and for not being too angry)! But also, I just want to let you know that I have loads of assignments and tests this week, so I won't have much time to write up the next chapter. Hopefully I'll have time over next weekend, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it and upload it too. We'll see what happens.

Thank yous:  
arrowgirl23: You'll find out what Kurama said to Hiei later...not in this chap though. Sorry!  
Vitanie Tora: Pyro pixie is not too happy...but you know him.  
e.drennan: Thanks! I'm glad you like her!  
Thunder Ring: Yeah, there'll be questions...later, though. For now, it's fight time!  
AuroraNin: Yay I'm glad you liked the action!  
Yumiko-san: Well, Tamora's arm is still broken, you know...it hasn't exactly had the time it needs to heal.

Let's see...I feel like putting in some info of some sort, like something extra. Let's see... Oh yes! The two members of Team Clownabout who do not fight this round! They are twins, and they were both once humans. They had extremely large amounts of spirit energy (well, for normal humans), and they somehow warped themselves into the demon plane when an experiment with their powers went wrong. They had brought all their circus stuff with them, because they loved circus tricks. They became circus demons, travelling around and performing for other demons. Then they were recruited by Mr Mime to join a team of circus fighting demons. The twins' forte is double teaming, but they have very good mastery of their aura and can manipulate any circus object at will. They can also read each others' minds, but that's nothing spiritual. It's a twin thing. Oh, and for their names: Thing 1 and Thing 2 (how I love Dr Seuss!). And so yeah. That's the story of the twins. Hope you liked that piece of unnecessary info!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own YYH, but I own this story, and some characters, and you know what else...I do not own Dr Seuss, but I still own some of the books. Six reviews until I update!

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN – SHRIMPS AND STILTS 

"Big Daddy is down!" Koto yelled. "Tamora wins the first round!"

Tamora took in a good, deep breath and checked herself over. Her clothes were lathered in blood, so much so that there was barely any white still showing. Her broken arm throbbed painfully, still with the same intensity as before, but she had been able to put it aside while she fought. Now that she had nothing to do, however, it would be harder to ignore. She sighed. She was a little tired from the fight, but she had enjoyed herself. With fights like these, she knew she'd get stronger in no time.

She returned to the sidelines and tossed the sword to Hiei without comment. He snatched it out of the air and sheathed it, glaring.

"Wow!" exclaimed Kuwabara. "You actually won!"

Tamora glared at him. "Yeah," she said tonelessly. "So don't lose yours."

Kuwabara raised clenched fists. "I will!" he yelled. "Just you watch!"

Catalyn went up to her. "You did really well," she said. "But your arm is hurt. Let me –"

"No."

"Catalyn is right," Kurama said. "You can't leave it like that."

"I'll fix it myself," Tamora told him coolly.

After Big Daddy finally left the stage, kicking his severed hands with him, the short clown hopped onto the stage, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I'll take on that shrimp!" Kuwabara declared. He marched forward, obviously still fuming from Tamora's comment.

"It's Short Man versus Kuwabara!" Koto cried. "From past experience, it seems Kuwabara always gets the short guys! Well, on my count! Three, two, one, Fight!"

Short Man grinned. "I like fighting the tall, clumsy guys!" he said happily, bouncing from one foot to the other. "I can't wait to watch you tripping over your own feet!"

"What did you say?" yapped Kuwabara. "I'm stronger than I look, y'know!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Short Man said playfully. "But you know, Big Daddy is really weak compared to me." He took a red ball out of his pocket and tossed it repeatedly with one hand. "All he could do was rely on his fists."

"And what can you do, shrimp?" retorted Kuwabara. "Throw a ball at me?"

Short Man's grin widened. "That's part of it," he said. He caught his ball and then opened his palm. The ball rose into the air until it was at eye level. "One ball."

Without warning, the ball shot for Kuwabara. But Kuwabara just grinned.

"I guess you didn't know," he said. He created his aura sword and took up a baseball batter's stance. "I'm one of the best baseball players in my league!"

With an almighty swing, the aura sword and the ball connected. There was a sizzling noise, and the ball pitched back at Short Man.

"Talk about a taste of your own medicine!" Koto exclaimed.

But Short Man continued to grin. As the ball zoomed towards his face, it stopped just above his palm, then fell into his hand. "Nice try," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out another ball. He juggled them in his left hand. "My balls are charged with my aura. I'm not about to let them attack me. Now, let's make this more interesting, shall we? Two balls."

Both balls rose into the air and then attacked. Kuwabara gave a yelp at first, but then he swung away, repelling both balls in one swing. The balls swerved around, changing their course, and came back at Kuwabara from each side. This time, Kuwabara dodged one while swatting the other, then whirled back to hit the first. The balls returned to Short Man's fist.

"You're doing well, for a human," Short Man said. "However, people have repelled two balls before, but no one's ever done it with three." He pulled the last red ball out of his pocket and began to juggle. "It'll be fun watching you try, though!"

Kuwabara glared at him. "Not if I attack you first!" he yelled, and he charged.

"You idiot!" Yusuke yelled from the sidelines. "That's reckless!"

"You're one to talk," Catalyn muttered. Yusuke glared at her.

"Kuwabara, don't!" Kurama cried.

Tamora just watched. She couldn't see the aura Short Man had put into his juggling balls. Obviously he was smart and suppressed it. Kuwabara, on the other hand, didn't suppress his aura, and his sword was visible even to her. _Even the smallest lowlife would be able to see it_, she realized. Sure, Kuwabara was a dolt and lacked finesse and much more, but if he had gone through so much with the Spirit Detectives, he must be pretty powerful. Still, she was pretty sure that Short Man had the advantage here.

She was right. As Kuwabara charged, Short Man said, "Three balls," and his juggler's balls zoomed out of his hand and swerved into Kuwabara from angles that were impossible to counter. His right leg and both shoulders were plowed right through, drawing blood.

"Stinking shrimp!" Kuwabara muttered. "Sword, extend!" His aura sword lengthened and shot right at Short Man, catching him in the ribs before he had time to react.

"And Kuwabara's managed to inflict a blow on Short Man!" Koto exclaimed. "He caught him completely off guard!

Short Man coughed and looked up. "Aw, man!" he exclaimed. "You got me! I didn't think I'd have to use my ace this early on. Here comes the Fire Triangle!!!"

Tamora blinked. Suddenly she could see what surrounded the juggling balls. Each one was surrounded in red-hot flames, probably a visible manifestation of Short Man's aura. The balls formed a triangle, and the flames reached out and connected together.

"I'm gonna burn your heart right out!" Short Man yelled, his voice filled with ecstatic laughter. "Just watch me!"

"No way!" yelled Kuwabara. "I'm taking you down!" He charged, and the fiery triangle moved towards him, going straight for his heart. "Sword, extend!" His sword thinned and shot through the fire triangle, right towards Short Man.

"Gah!" cried Short Man, bringing his arms up to defend himself.

The aura sword pierced Short Man's chest just as the fire triangle hit Kuwabara's. Both weapons vanished as their wielders fell to the ground. Short Man's red juggling balls were all that remained, and they rolled over the edge of the ring.

"Kuwabara!" yelled Kurama and Catalyn.

"Get up!" roared Yusuke.

And then Kuwabara stood. His t-shirt ripped and burned, a nasty mark in the shape of a triangle had been left across the center of his chest. The attack had missed, but it was nonetheless effective. He gasped from the burn, but he was otherwise just fine.

Koto started the count, but after five seconds, Short Man rose as well. He clutched his bleeding chest. "Well damn," he said with his usual, playful grin. "You still got me."

"Damn right I did!" Kuwabara said.

"But you're hurt too," Short Man pointed out. "We're at a standstill. Well, not anymore."

The three red balls rose simultaneously into the air, and then suddenly each divided into five new balls.

"He added more aura and then equally divided it up amongst the extra balls," Kurama noted. Tamora couldn't see the aura, but she trusted Kurama's judgement.

"What are you – hey!" Kuwabara cried out. The little red balls swarmed into him, pulling him down to the ground and pinning him there. "This ain't fair! Why is it always me?"

"Not my problem," Short Man said. He turned to Koto. "Hey, Miss, start the count."

"Oh, right!" Koto said. "One…two…three…"

"Kuwabara! Get up, you jerk!" Yusuke bellowed.

"Four…five…six…"

"I'm trying!" Kuwabara snapped, struggling to break free.

"Try harder!" yelled Catalyn.

"Seven… Eight…"

"Come on!"

"Nine…"

"Almost there!" cried Kuwabara, gritting his teeth. He pushed against the balls with all his might and aura.

"Ten!"

"Ha!" Short Man said. "You lose!"

"Not yet!" Kuwabara said triumphantly. Sure enough, he'd broken free and was standing once again.

Short Man turned on Koto. "Hey, Miss, what's the call here?"

Koto looked like she didn't know what to say. "Uh…I…well…Let's let the folks upstairs decide that!"

There were a few moments of silence. Finally, a voice announced, "Kuwabara did rise –" The stadium filled with cheers and jeers "– but a mere fraction of a second after the count was finished."

"What?" yelped Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"There you have it!" Koto yelled. "Short Man is the winner!"

Kuwabara looked like he was about to protest, but then he winced in pain, bringing a hand to his chest but not touching the burn wound.

"The call's been made," Kurama said. "Kuwabara, come here and we'll take a look at that wound. That's more important right now."

So Kuwabara grudgingly returned to the sidelines, glaring over his shoulder at Short Man, who was bouncing from side to side, juggling and grinning gleefully. Catalyn and Kurama both rushed to their comrade to get a look at the injury.

Next up was the clown on stilts. Tamora watched him step forward with grace unusual for a man on stilts such as those. His eyes had been thickly outlined with black makeup and seemed long and thin. He had also painted his lips orange, and long wisps of his blue wig fell over his shoulders. Nevertheless, she was sure this clown was a male.

"Team Urameshi, please send out your next fighter!" Koto called.

Catalyn and Kurama both started. Both had been inspecting Kuwabara's burns. They looked each other in the eyes.

"You go," Kurama said. "I'll take care of the wound for now. I'm sure you can make quick work of this one."

Catalyn grinned. "I think you just want to fight the mime," she said.

Kurama smiled. "You know me well," he replied.

Catalyn shrugged. "Fine, fine, I'll take on the stilts. Besides, I've got a huge urge to knock something down." She sprung onto the stage, landing smoothly, her tail swaying slightly. Her ears pricked. "Yep, this won't take long."

"It's Catalyn the cat woman versus The Snake, the stilts stunt man!" Koto announced. "Ready? Three, two, one…fight!"

Tamora turned her gaze from the fight and looked at Kuwabara, who was now snoring. Kurama was applying some strange plant's secretion that ressembled a thick purple paste over the lesser of the wounds, but he did nothing for the chest burn. He turned to Tamora. She quickly averted her gaze, but he spoke to her anyways.

"My plants can't really do anything for the major injuries," he said. "Minor cuts, scrapes, bruises, and some burns – I can handle those. Catalyn can take care of this big one."

"Hm," Tamora said, not really caring. Her arm was still killing her.

Kurama seemed to be able to tell. "You really should do something about that arm," he said. "Let me just patch it up a little for you."

"I already said no," Tamora replied monotonously.

Kurama sighed. "Well, at least take this first-aid kit," he said, holding out a small white package. "I promise you, it is all normal human stuff."

Tamora looked him straight in the eye and decided that he was telling the truth. She snatched the package out of his hands. She cleaned up the blood and bandaged all her cuts. Then she put her arm in a makeshift sling.

While she fixed herself, Kurama continued to speak to her. "Your sword work was excellent," he said. "I had no idea you fenced. When did you learn?"

Tamora shrugged stiffly and focused her gaze either on her wounds or on Catalyn's fight, which was taking an interesting turn. As it turned out, The Snake's stilts, though wooden, could slither through the air and bend their shapes at will. Catalyn had just received a kick in the gut from one of the stilts and was getting back to her feet.

Catalyn glared at her opponent, and her pupils had reduced to mere slits, giving her a chillingly feline glare. She bared her claws and pounced. With speed almost rivaling Hiei's, but not quite, she reached The Snake and launched into a series of high-speed martial arts moves, involving kicks, punches, flips, pivots, and other elements in an unpredictable fashion.

Tamora had to admit, Catalyn was a much more able fighter than she'd originally believed. She hadn't expected to see this kind of fighting skill. She made mental notes of Catalyn's abilities, in case she ever needed to know them in the future. After all, the Doctor didn't have much data on her, since she was the newest addition to the Spirit Detectives.

The Snake countered with a swinging upwards kick, and then the stilt swerved around to hit her from behind. Catalyn's eyes darted back and she blocked the kick with her tail. Then, using it as a ground, she pushed off the stilt and nailed her opponent with a strong punch to the lower jaw.

As he fell, The Snake flipped onto his hands and did the splits in his handstand. Then he swung his legs around at a terrifying speed, the stilts waving around, trying to reach Catalyn. Catalyn dodged, leaping from side to side with unparalleled grace. Suddenly she seized an opportunity. Both stilts tried to ram her from either side, and she leaped up and redirected them with two swift kicks so that they hit each other. Then she landed on one of them and sprinted across it. The stilt jerked, trying to throw her off, and the other one attacked her, but she repelled it with her tail and kept her balance. Then she reached The Snake and leaped up. Before the stilts could close in on her, she swung in a full 360 in midair and landed a huge kick between the stilt man's legs. He gave a huge, shrieking moan of pain, and the force of the blow sent him flying into the stands. He did not come back.

"Catalyn wins!" Koto yelled. "What an amazing display of feminine fighting power!" That declaration was followed by a multitude of boos, but Catalyn didn't seem to care. She just gave the crowd a grin and hopped over to her team.

"Good job," Yusuke told her. "How's your stomach?"

Catalyn shrugged. "I barely feel it. I guess I should get to Kuwabara's wounds, now."

Kurama stood. "It's just the chest wound that needs work now," he said. "Well, I guess it's my turn."

"Be careful," Catalyn told him. "He's the strongest. And his aura is – well, I can't exactly describe it. But it's strange."

Kurama smiled. "I noticed it, too," he said. "Don't worry. I can take him."

"Good luck, Kurama," Yusuke said. "I hope you get a scream out of him. I'm dying to hear what he sounds like."

Tamora watched them grinning at each other and joking around, and she wondered if that's what happened when you've been through so much together. Did everyone soften up over time? Then she noticed Hiei, who still hadn't moved or spoken.

_I guess not._


	12. Chapter 12

Well, I guess we're past apologies here. I took way too long this time, I know. I got really busy, and then I had two weeks of break with no school and I did nothing until today, the end of my break. There's no excuse for my neglect, really. So while we're here, I'm going to make an announcement: I love fanfiction. Really I do. And I love writing this fic. It's not that I'm having a writer's block or a lack of inspiration. I really don't know what it is. So from now on I can make no promises. Sure, there still has to be 6 reviews before you'll see an update, but I cannot make any guarantees as to when the next updates will be. There will be updates, but still...it's my last year of high school this year and things are pretty hectic, and then when I get time I just waste it all. So I'm asking everyone, all the readers of this fic, a HUGE favor. Please please PLEASE bear with me, don't abandon this fic because I don't update as often. I can't make many promises, but I promise you I will see this fic through to the end, whenever that end may be. I thank you all in advance for understanding.

Thank yous:  
Angelkitsune-Naomi: I looked up the lyrics to that song, and it's cool! I think it works for Hiei more than Catalyn because it would work for him all the time, rather than just when Catalyn fights, but that's really cool!  
arrowgirl23: Of course Hiei softened up, but Tamora can't really understand that kind of thing. As for pairings, there is Catalyn and Kurama. One-sided Kuwabara and Yukina of course for comic relief. Possibly very subtle Hiei-Tamora.  
Vitanie Tora: I'm glad you like my fight scenes. I work really hard on them.  
Thunder Ring: Thanks for the review!  
Psyco Anime Luver: I'm glad you likes!  
Yumiko-san: Tamora is stubborn, that's all, really. She doesn't want anything to do with them, or at least as much as she can help it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH, yadda yadda...let's just begin.

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CHAPTER TWELVE – SPEAK NO EVIL

Tamora watched, bored, as Kurama stepped up to face his opponent, Mr. Mime. He was of average height, clad in what seemed like black spandex. Tufts of dark hair stuck out at odd angles from beneath a black hat that made her think of an old man she'd seen walking down her street one morning, a long time ago. His face was painted completely white, and his cheeks, rather than being rosy, were painted with small black circles. His eyes and lips were also outlined with black. His stomach bulged slightly, and Tamora had to wonder if it was body fat or if he was hiding something in there. He also carried a small pouch over his shoulder. Unlike the mimes Tamora had once seen at a show many years ago (of which she had taken no interest), this one didn't seem sad. In fact, he seemed to be grinning.

Kurama stood with his knees slightly bent. Tamora noted that he stood lightly on the balls of his feet, ready for any sudden movement. _He enters his matches well prepared,_ she decided. _He's probably a pretty careful fighter._ She remembered some of the notes on Kurama's abilities stating that his weakness was that he took too long to figure his opponents out before taking direct action against them. However, that was in his human form…she had seen strange data describing his demon form as the ruthless Youko Kurama. Now that would make for an interesting fight.

Koto raised her hand in the air and brought it down in a swift movement. "Begin!"

Nothing happened at first. The two fighters studied each other carefully without so much as a single twitch.

Kuwabara tried to shift his position to get a better view. Catalyn slapped him smartly on the shoulder and he yelped.

"Stop moving!" she commanded. "How do you expect me to fix this wound if you keep squirming like a little kid?"

"Phooo-eeee," Yusuke exclaimed suddenly, waving his hand over his nose as if wafting away a bad smell. "What a stench!"

Tamora frowned as the foul smell reached her nose, and she gave a shudder upon inhaling it. Well, it definitely wasn't coming from a person letting off gas, like she'd originally thought. It was a strange smell, one she'd never smelt before. It was foul and rotten, but she couldn't think of any other similar smell. What _was_ that smell?

Suddenly her limbs felt as if they were on fire. Everything inside her burned. The next thing she knew, she had fallen to her knees. She stared ahead of her towards the battle area in surprise, and when she turned to see if the same thing had happened to the others, she realized she couldn't move.

"Tamora!" she heard Catalyn exclaim. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but when she tried to force her body to move to brush it off, everything burned.

"What the –" Yusuke started. "People all over the stadium are frozen, too!"

"What?" Catalyn exclaimed worriedly. "Why are some frozen and others not?"

Tamora's eyes burned, for she could barely blink. She could only stare ahead, to where Kurama was eyeing his surroundings with a surprised frown. They still hadn't made any move to fight.

"Poison," Kurama said calmly and suddenly. "It enters the body through inhalation and stops all movement. It's not deadly, but it takes a while to wear off."

"Hn," Hiei said gruffly. "This kind's from the demon plane. It only affects those with low spiritual energy."

"What's he playing at?" Yusuke demanded. He directed his question at Mr. Mime. "Hey, what kind of trick are you trying to pull?"

Mr. Mime smiled at Yusuke and shook his head. Then he brought a finger to his lips.

"A secret, eh?" said Kurama. He reached into the back of his hair and pulled out a single rose. It transformed into his rose whip, riddled with dangerous thorns.

Tamora heard a sniffing noise that seemed to be coming from Catalyn. "I get it now!" she said. "The strange aura. He's a poison master!"

Kurama nodded. "I assumed as much," he said, readying his whip. "But low-level poisons won't have much effect on me." His eyes narrowed. "I'll make this quick."

Kurama charged forwards with agility whose grace almost rivaled Catalyn's. Mr. Mime grinned and reached into his pouch. Kurama brought the rose whip striking down, and the mime dodged at the last second, jumping high into the air and out of the whip's reach.

"Mr. Mime dodges!" Koto yelled. She had enough spirit energy that the poison hadn't affected her, so she could still announce. "And what is that vial he's holding in his hand?"

Sure enough, Mr. Mime was twiddling a small vial of purple liquid between his fingers. As he reached the height of his jump, he tossed it downwards. Kurama leaped back and the vial shattered as it hit the tile. As soon as it did, it evaporated into a purple haze, filling the area with smoke.

Kurama tried to escape the smoky area and stumbled. Still gripping his whip with his right hand, he brought his left hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. When he looked back up, Tamora saw that his eyes were extremely bloodshot, so much so that she couldn't see the iris or pupil. Could Kurama even see at all at this point?

"Poison to damage the eyes," Hiei remarked. "By now, Kurama can barely see a blur."

"No way!" Kuwabara yelled.

"How many poisons does this guy have?" exclaimed Yusuke.

As the smoke mixed in with the air, the area cleared and Tamora was able to see Mr. Mime charging Kurama from behind.

"Kurama!" Catalyn screamed. "Behind you!"

At what seemed like the last second, Kurama dove to the side, lashing his whip out behind him and striking Mr. Mime on the knee. The black spandex tore and his knee bled. It was a surprisingly deep cut for such a blind strike. Mr. Mime gazed at his injury and then glared at Catalyn. He pulled a red vial from his pouch.

"With the help of his teammates, Kurama was able to land a serious blow!" Koto was announcing. "But what kind of poison will Mr. Mime deploy now? Let's see what he does – he's throwing it straight down!"

Before anyone could say anything, the entire arena erupted with a pinkish smoke.

"Oh my!" Koto said. "He's using it on the whole stadium –" She choked and clutched her throat, unable to continue.

Similar hacking noises came from Catalyn, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. Tamora nearly gasped in realization. _He's not letting anyone speak! He doesn't want to leave Kurama with any hint at all of what he's doing! What a strategy…Kurama is certainly in big trouble here._

As the pink smoke blended into the air, Tamora saw Mr. Mime running towards Kurama once more. Then – with a huge punch, Kurama was hit straight in the jaw, and he rolled to the edge of the ring, coughing. His eyesight was still caput, and he struggled to his feet.

Mr. Mime charged again, and Tamora realized his objective: he wanted to knock Kurama out of the ring while he was blinded so that Kurama wouldn't be able to get back in. But there was a flaw to his plan. She was sure Kurama would be able to rely on his other senses to avoid him. After all, he could still hear his movements.

Kurama dodged and lashed out with his rose whip. At first, the way the whip curved, it almost seemed like a blind swing – but no, it swerved back and caught Mr. Mime in the shoulder.

Mr. Mime glared at Kurama, but Kurama was just standing. Since Mr. Mime wasn't moving, it was impossible to tell where he was, and though his eyes seemed a bit less bloodshot, he still hadn't regained his vision. Then the mime pulled out a vile of yellow liquid and whipped it at Kurama.

Kurama somehow caught the whizzing noise of the vial and tried to slash it with his rose whip. The force of the blow knocked the vial back towards Mr. Mime, where it exploded. However, the yellow smoke still traveled, engulfing the two fighters. Then Tamora saw Kurama put a hand to his ears.

Mr. Mime faced the crowd. He pointed at Kurama, then at his ears, and then made an X with his arms. Sure enough, Kurama's hearing had also been lost.

_That guy must have some sort of poison for each of the five senses,_ Tamora guessed. _So far, Kurama's lost sight, speech in lieu of taste, and hearing. The sense of touch will do nothing for him until it is too late and the blow has already landed. That means that his nose is the only thing he can rely on now. But with the entire stadium thick with poison, how is he going to sniff him out?_

Kurama raised his free hand with a flourish and summoned hundreds of tiny rose petals to the arena. They gently floated around him, surrounding him. Tamora remembered reading that Kurama's rose petals could slice through almost anything, but she knew that right now, they served as his last line of defense.

Mr. Mime faked laughing as he pointed to the petals and doubled over, shaking with silent, mock laughter. Then he raised his fist and prepared to charge.

The mime closed in on the petals, but nothing happened. They didn't attack, like Tamora's description of the technique had informed her. So what were they there for? She'd assumed they were there to buy time until he got his eyesight back, but what good were they if they couldn't hold back the mime?

Mr. Mime leaped through the petals, bringing his fist down from above. Then suddenly Kurama's rose whip lashed out, wrapping itself around the mime's legs, trapping him. Their purpose served, the rose petals fell to the ground. The thorns of Kurama's whip dug into the mime's legs, causing blood to spurt in numerous places. The Kurama swung the whip around and forcefully drove Mr. Mime's body to the ground.

_So that was his plan,_ Tamora realized. _He engulfed himself in the smell of the rose petals. Then when Mr. Mime's poison scent interfered, he knew where to aim._ She had to admit, Kurama's tactics were quite impressive against such a foe. To top that off, she noticed that the red was slowly fading from his eyes. Soon, his vision would be back, and Kurama would gain the advantage.

Mr. Mime rose from the rubble created from when he crashed, wincing in pain and struggling to his feet. Once he was up, however, he grinned evilly. Facing the crowd, he held up a new vial of black liquid. He pointed at Kurama and mimed a person dropping dead.

_Lethal poison!_

Then he threw the vial.

For Tamora, time seemed to slow as she watched the vial twist and turn as it arched across the ring to where Kurama stood, rubbing his eyes.

Then –

Kurama's hand reached out and snatched the vial out of the air. With the back of his hand, he rubbed his eyes once more. When he drew his hand away, Tamora could see no more red in his eyes. Instead, what she saw kind of surprised her: Kurama was glaring, something she'd never thought possible from such a calm guy. It was almost scary.

Kurama walked to the edge of the ring, towards Tamora and the others. He stepped out of the ring and handed the vial to Catalyn. Then he returned to the ring before a stunned Koto could even start a silent count. Mr. Mime rummaged hurriedly through his pouch, but he'd run out of poison. He angrily threw the pouch aside, then caught sight of Kurama's glare and gulped.

_That's that, then,_ Tamora thought._ Kurama's won._

Kurama readied his whip, and Mr. Mime took a step back in fright. His belly jiggled. Tamora stared at it for a moment. What if there was more poison hidden there? Kurama's whip lashed out. Mr. Mime leaped into the air, ready to come down on Kurama. He was grinning. Kurama took aim.

As Tamora could only stare, she heard a gurgle next to her. It sounded as though Catalyn was trying to speak. "Ku-Ku-!"

_So she'd realized it too_, Tamora thought as Kurama swung.

"Kurama!" Catalyn cried, her voice breaking.

But it was too late. The whip pierced through the stomach, and dark liquid sprayed down upon Kurama before he could do anything. He shut his eyes and mouth and brought his hands over his face, but that couldn't stop the liquid from drenching him. Then, before anyone could do anything, Kurama flung his whip furiously at Mr. Mime, and he was torn to pieces before he could utter a single cry.

Koto stepped forward. She cleared her throat, having regained her voice as well. "I guess there's no need to give a count here," she commented, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the mangled body. "Kurama wins! Team Urameshi advances to the next round! Now, if both teams could leave the area so that the next match can begin!"

"Yes! He did it!" Kuwabara exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Then he winced and clutched the burn wound.

Kurama took shaky steps off the ring towards them. His clothes were stained with the dark liquid, and it had been absorbed into his skin wherever it touched. The liquid on his clothes seemed to be dry already. Tamora supposed it wasn't harmful like that.

Kurama glanced sideways at her. "You can move again, Tamora," he said with a small smile. "The poison must have worn off sometime during the match."

Tamora looked down and around. So she could move. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't noticed when it wore off, then shrugged it off and stood up.

"You okay?" Yusuke asked. "That was a heckuva fight, though."

Kurama nodded. "I'm fine."

"And we never heard his voice," Yusuke added regretfully.

Kurama chuckled lightly. Then he pitched downwards.

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Catalyn rushed to catch him before he hit the ground. "Kurama, what's wrong?"

"It's the poison," said a voice.

They all turned around to see the twin clowns facing them, speaking in unison with strange, nasal voices that were exactly alike. "A liquid poison that is absorbed into the skin. You'd better find a doctor. If you get rid of it within fifteen minutes, he'll only be out for a little bit. However, if after thirty minutes the poison is still in his system, he will surely die." Then they left the stadium without another word.

"Damn!" cried Yusuke angrily. "Catalyn, can you fix this?"

Catalyn's face was etched with lines of worry. "I don't know!" she said. "I can try, but –"

"Okay, that settles it!" Yusuke said. He hoisted Kurama onto his back. "Once we get to the hall, Hiei and I will look for a doctor. In the meantime, you have to try to help him."

Catalyn bent to help Kuwabara to his feet, but he was able to move on his own. "Okay," she said.

Then they all sprinted out of the stadium, Tamora only running so she didn't lose them.

When they'd reached a safe corner in the hall, Yusuke hurriedly deposited Kurama into Catalyn's arms and took off. "Come on, Hiei!"

But there was no need to yell. Hiei had taken off long before him.

Catalyn and Kuwabara lay Kurama down, and Catalyn hurriedly set to work. She placed her hands on his chest and focused.

"Can you do it?" Kuwabara asked quietly.

Catalyn seemed to almost be on the verge of tears. "I don't know!" she said. "I've never dealt with poison before! Damn it, why did this have to happen?"

Kuwabara straightened. "I'm going to look for Yukina," he announced. "She might know what to do."

"But you don't know where she is!" Catalyn protested.

"She was here yesterday, so she must be around here somewhere!" Kuwabara reasoned. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" And he, too, ran off.

Catalyn shook herself over. Her face set, she set to work. Tamora could tell she cared for Kurama very much and would do anything to save him. But would it be enough? Kuwabara was out searching for his lovely Yukina, who also possessed healing powers. Yusuke was out in search of a doctor. So was Hiei, and Tamora had never seen him so ready to do something for another teammate. Catalyn was doing all she could at that moment to save Kurama. They were all doing their part.

So what was her part in this race against time? Did she even have one with this team of Spirit Detectives?

Yes, she had a part. And that was to watch and wait.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello everybody!! Wow, reviews so fast! I thought for sure it would take a while since I took so long to update. And actually, I wrote this chapter right after uploading the previous one since I had the time. I haven't done anything for the next chapter yet, but since I've got a bunch of long weekends coming up with school I think I'll manage to keep this story going smoothly. Believe it or not, I've actually planned out the final eight chapters again, but there's still stuff going on in the middle that I haven't fully finished planning yet (I'm so bad - I focus more on the end than the parts now). Considering this, I think this series will end up being approximately the same length as The Feline Curse, but possibly a chapter or two longer. So that's my little news update for you.

Thank yous:  
e.drennan: Eeeeee yay I'm so glad you liked it so much! Actually it's one of my fave chapters so far.  
fangimation and RedRoseInADarkAlley: I know, I know. I guess I like Tamora's character so much since I'm the one who actually created her. Of course your reactions are perfectly normal. That's what I was going for anyways. Don't get too angry, though, things will change with time.  
arrowgirl23: Thank you! I hope this is a quick enough update!  
Thunder Ring: No, technically her job as Doctor Clone's spy doesn't specifically mention anything like that, but that's the way she is.  
Vitanie Tora: I love the second movie so so much! I'm admittedly a bit obsessed. Actually, the quote is "there is no one who does not carry scars on his heart. If there were a person like that, he would be a shallow soul." Big squeals for Hiei for saying that!!!  
Yumiko-san: Yay thanks very much! And long is always good! I love long!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YYH, but I own this and its prequel so yeah. Bug off. Um...six reviews till the next update! That's it!

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN – CURE FOR THE HEAD

Tamora watched as Catalyn tried with all her power to heal Kurama. Beads of sweat poured down her face. And from the way Catalyn's expression grew graver with each tick of the clock on the wall, things weren't going so well.

Suddenly, Tamora saw Kurama's fingers twitch. She leaned in a little as they twitched again. Now she knew she wasn't seeing things.

Catalyn saw it too, for there was a sharp intake of breath from her part. "Kurama?" she breathed, her eyes wide.

"Mmf," came a groaning reply. From the looks of it, Kurama was still mostly out, but he'd somehow managed to pull part of himself out of the darkness of poison-induced unconsciousness.

"Kurama," Catalyn cried, "the poison's too – I don't know if I –"

"An…tidote…" Kurama's voice came out as a bare whisper, like a gentle wind passing through. "Left…pocket…leaf…water…"

Catalyn gasped. "Oh!" she breathed, digging into his pant pocket. Sure enough, she pulled out a strange dark green leaf with a spiky symmetrical pattern. She examined the leaf. "Water, water," she muttered, looking around as she tried to make sense of Kurama's words. Then it hit her. "Of course!" She whipped around. "Tamora, I need you to take this leaf and crush it in a glass of water. Hurry!"

Tamora blinked; she hadn't expected to be called on while this was going on. Now that Catalyn had acknowledged her presence, what should she do? Or should she do nothing and let the others handle it. Kurama might die if she did nothing, but since when did she ever care?

It was like a shock to the spine when she suddenly came back to reality. Without a second thought, she snatched the leaf from Catalyn's fingers and rushed to the nearest bathroom. Inside, there was a water fountain with some plastic cups. She filled a cup with water and, with her nails, shredded the leaf and dropped the pieces into the cup. They floated around in circles for a moment until they had all been dissolved.

Tamora walked back, making sure not to spill any water. She glanced sharply at the clock. About twenty-five minutes had already passed.

She reached Catalyn and slowly handed over the glass. Catalyn seemed to want to jerk it away, but she also knew better than to risk spilling the liquid. Gently, she parted Kurama's lips and poured a little dribble into his mouth. Then she poured some more. She closed her mouth and made sure he'd swallowed. Then she repeated the action. This time some of the drink leaked down his chin, for her hand was shaking violently.

Just watching her shake annoyed Tamora. She pushed Catalyn aside and took the cup, glaring. "Get a grip," she snapped, and proceeded to pour the rest of the drink into Kurama's mouth. "I didn't think you were this much of a wuss." Her task completed, she stood and moved away.

Just then, Kuwabara came running with Yukina at his heels. "I've brought her!" he yelled.

Yukina hurried to kneel with Catalyn next to Kurama. Catalyn quickly filled her in on the details and Yukina used her powers to examine Kurama's body. Then she smiled kindly. "It's going to be okay," she said. "It seems like the poison's vanishing. Whatever antidote he had, it worked."

Catalyn let out a huge sigh of relief, and two fat tears leaked down her cheeks. "Thank goodness," she said wearily. "Oh, thank goodness." Tamora gave a loud sigh.

Moments later, Yusuke and Hiei returned. They both seemed upset over something, particularly Yusuke.

"Damn those stupid Tournament organizers!" Yusuke cursed. "Useless, all of them!"

"It's okay, guys," Kuwabara said. "Kurama's all better!"

"What?" Yusuke yelped.

Catalyn nodded. "He had an antidote in his pocket," she explained, wiping her eyes. "He came to long enough to tell us."

"No way!" Yusuke cried in exasperation. "All that running and there was an antidote in his friggin' pocket?"

"I should have known," Hiei muttered.

Catalyn was wiping her eyes again. For some reason, she couldn't seem to stop crying.

Yukina put her delicate hands on Catalyn's shoulders. "Here, come with me so you can wash your face a bit," she suggested. "And I'll explain to you how to sense poison with your healing powers."

After they'd left, Yusuke commented, "They really cut it close, eh?"

"Sure did," Kuwabara said with a nod. Then he winced. "Damn, I shouldn't have run like that with this giant ugly burn."

"In that case, you should sit out the next round or you'll only be a hindrance," Hiei said.

Yusuke nodded. "You and Kurama are both injured, so it's best if both of you sit out next round. That way you'll be fresh for the finals."

Kuwabara nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said. "A day's rest and this baby'll be good as new!"

Yusuke shook his head. "Catalyn's gonna be pissed when she hears she's sitting out the finals."

As they continued their senseless chatter, Tamora withdrew into her thoughts. Something was obviously wrong with her. First it had happened during Kurama's fight, when the poison had kept her from moving. But Kurama had said it had worn off in the middle of the fight. Had Tamora really stayed unmoving because she'd been too absorbed in the fight? Had she really allowed herself to become that interested or even worse, concerned? Then she'd even volunteered to help Kurama with the antidote. Anyone else would have done it on instinct to save another's life, but she wasn't like that. So why would she have done that? And then when Yukina had given her verdict, there was no mistaking the sigh she'd released and the realization that she'd been holding her breath. But why? Why was this happening to her when she didn't want it? And how? Or more importantly, how would she rid herself of these stupid sources of uneasiness?

Tamora was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't even realized that she, along with the rest of the Spirit Detectives, had returned to their hotel room along with Yukina, who would help keep an eye on Kurama, just in case. She hadn't even noticed that she had seated herself at the table with the rest of them until Catalyn passed her a bowl.

"Chips, Tamora?"

"Huh?" Tamora finally snapped out of it. Catalyn was grinning as usual. Tamora gazed into the bowl and saw not the food, but the beer bottle caps Yusuke had brought in place of poker chips. "What's –?"

"Come on, play some blackjack with us!" she urged.

Tamora stared around at the faces at the table, feeling as if she was seeing them all for the first time. Yusuke and Kuwabara were grinning as well. Hiei was expressionless as usual, but he too was playing.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to play," Yusuke said.

Kuwabara, who was next to her, nudged her with his elbow. "It's okay, I can teach – argh!" Tamora punched him.

"I'm not an idiot," she retorted, and she snatched up some caps.

Yusuke dealt. Hiei's face-up card was a nine of spades.

Hiei thought for a moment. "Hit me," he muttered. Yusuke dealt him a two. "Stay."

Catalyn was next, but she went over. Tamora had a king and a ten; she stayed. Kuwabara went over all well, and Yusuke ended with nineteen. Hiei revealed his jack as Tamora flipped her king.

"No way!" Kuwabara cried. "The chances were slim to none!"

"But Tamora had a ten, so Hiei had reason to assume she had another ten," Catalyn reasoned.

Tamora eyed the playing table suspiciously. Her hand darted across the table and she snatched up something white.

Everyone stared at it in a daze for a moment.

Hiei's headband.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Catalyn all flipped.

After five or so minutes of endured yelling, Hiei grudgingly closed his Jagan Eye and covered it once more with his headband, and the game continued.

Kuwabara was the first to be eliminated, then Catalyn. Hiei came a close third, a mere one point from defeating Yusuke. Tamora originally held the advantage, but she couldn't hold out until the end.

"Yes!" Yusuke stood and held his arms out, as if acknowledging a boisterous crowd. "The reigning champ triumphs again!"

"Aw!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I thought you had him for sure, Tamora!" He rounded on Yusuke. "And who died and made you former champ, Urameshi? Last time it was me!"

But Tamora was no longer paying any attention. Never before had she felt such a terrible headache. Her world spun out of focus the instant she stood. Then it cleared. She headed for her room.

"Leaving already?" Catalyn asked. "There are so many other games we can play. You should do this more often."

Tamora shook her head. "Some other time," she said as she entered the room. "Don't come in and bug me unless it's urgent."

After she'd closed the door behind her, she realized what a fool she'd been. _You idiot!_ Tamora scolded herself harshly. _Why the hell did you go and hint that you might play again with them? To hell with that; that game was crap! They're nothing but a bunch of morons! They're nothing to you! You're spying on them so they can be destroyed. You have nothing else to do with them but observe their fights. Nothing more. So stop being such a fool and get your act together!_

She gave a loud sigh and flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Voices she didn't know she had bounced back and forth in her skull in an endless debate, but they were so vague that she was only aware of the pounding of her head. Was there anything in this stupid world that could make it go away?

She turned her head on its side, facing the night table, and she reached out to turn off the light from the lamp. As her hand groped around, it closed upon a tiny object.

She picked it up and held it in front of her eyes, her head swimming. It was the stupid earpiece the Doctor had given her. The one he was trying to brainwash her with. Scowling, she threw it across the room. It bounced off the wall and into the garbage can.

Of course, none of that helped her headache. To make matters worse, she couldn't stop thinking about the day's events, and each time she did, her chest seemed to tighten so that her breathing became labored. What was wrong with her? And why couldn't she just get those thoughts out of her head? It was like a stupid song on a broken radio, repeating the same part over and over and over again. _But radios can be fixed, damn it,_ she thought.

Evening came and Tamora still couldn't find a relief for her headache, nor could she find a way to get those thoughts out of her head. Her broken arm had nothing on this. She supposed stabs to the mind always hurt more than wounds on the outside, but this was just too stupid, too unbearable.

There was a knock on the door and Catalyn opened up. "Hey, Tamora," she said. She studied the human. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Tamora muttered, staring at the ceiling.

Catalyn sighed. "Okay, I won't ask you to come have supper with us. I'll bring it here it a second." She closed the door but left it open enough so that a crack of light could peek through. A few minutes later she returned with a plate full of food and a glass of water.

Tamora sat up in bed and took the food. Her stomach tightened a little, but she forced herself to take a bite in front of Catalyn.

But just one bite did not drive the half-demon away. Catalyn sat on her own bed, her golden cat's eyes fixed on Tamora, watching her intently. Just her gaze alone, even without looking at it directly, made Tamora's head pound and her chest tighten. Just because she knew Catalyn was there, any bit of pain that might have possibly slipped away throughout the afternoon in bed came rushing back, like a raging waterfall over which she had no hope of control. And the longer Catalyn stayed in there, the worse it got.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She dropped her fork onto the plate with a clatter. "I'm done," she said quickly.

Catalyn looked at her plate. At least two thirds of the food remained. "Tamora, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Fine, now get out," Tamora snapped.

Catalyn blinked. "Okay, I'll leave, but I'm coming back in ten minutes. At least try to have half your food eaten by then." And she left.

Tamora breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The moment she fell asleep that night (which didn't take very long; she was exhausted from her headache), Doctor Clone summoned her to train. Tamora went straight to a rack of swords on the wall and faced him, ready to begin, but he did nothing. He studied her closely for a few minutes.

Finally the silence made her temper snap. "What's wrong with you?" she yelled.

"Aha, so I'm right," the Doctor said with a nod, but his face was all seriousness.

"Right about what?" she snapped.

"You haven't been using the earpiece," he stated simply. "And being around the Spirit Detectives is finally starting to get to you. It always does, in time. I was hoping you'd be able to hold out a bit longer than that. Turns out you've disappointed me with your weakness."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"You're going to soften up if this goes on," the Doctor explained. "You're feeling emotions you've never felt before, and they're conflicting with your stubborn, solitary nature. Because of this, they're raging a battle inside of you. It hurts, doesn't it?" Tamora flinched. "And it will continue to hurt until one side vanquishes the other."

"But I'm trying," Tamora protested. "And I –"

"You need outside help, Tamora," the Doctor said. "You aren't strong enough to do it alone." He snapped his fingers, and one of his training clones appeared, ready with sword to battle. "That's why you're here, training with me. You may begin now."

Tamora charged.

As she fought, she felt once again like the radio was broken, repeating the same thing over and over again, but this time it was not a raging swirl of emotions, but a chant that drove them away. "Cool, calm, collected… Cool, calm, collected…" It soothed her. With nothing but those three words ringing in her ears, she battled the clone, testing out new moves and copying the ones used against her. With nothing but those three words ringing in her ears, her mind was finally at peace.

She fought the clone to a standstill, and the Doctor was more pleased than she'd ever seen him. He clapped his hands when they'd finished. "Splendid," he cried. "That was magnificent. Your skills are really coming along now, Tamora. Why, if you keep this up, Hiei might meet his match!"

She looked at him coolly. "That's a job for the clone you're making," she said, once again regaining her usual monotone.

The Doctor chuckled. "Yes, but two is always better than one," he replied. "Now, concerning your match tomorrow…" He handed her a sheet of paper, featuring a group of six demons she'd never seen before and their data. "These are your opponents for tomorrow. The demons on this team are martial arts experts, and they don't much really on demonic abilities. But that doesn't concern you." He pointed at one of the demons, one who wielded a sword. "This one will be your opponent. Make sure you face this demon or none tomorrow. Hiei also uses a sword, so Hiei may want that fight, but as of now, swordplay is all you're trained in." The light gleamed against his glasses. "This fight will serve as excellent training. I expect to hear good results when you return here tomorrow night. Understood?"

Tamora nodded. Then she woke up. She knew what she had to do. She quietly slipped out of bed and crept over to the garbage can. It was empty save for the headpiece. She pulled it out and cleaned it with a cloth from the bathroom. Then she turned it on and went back to sleep.

Once again, she'd regained her former self. With nothing but the same three words echoing in her head over and over again, she finally found her kind of peace.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay! I'm going to stop making promises of any sort because things just keep coming up and I can never keep them, plus I don't want to make anyone upset by breaking them. The one thing I still maintain is that whenever I do update, there will need to be at least six reviews. Honestly, I really am sorry, it's my last year of high school and prom is coming up and projects are due and exams are coming up for three weeks and things are pretty overwhelming. So yeah.

Thanks to all my reviewers, but I'll let you get to the next chap right away. I love you all for your continued support, even though I'm being an idiot and not updating when I should. I hope I can count on your continued support, because you are the reason I keep writing. But to answer Vitanie Tora's question, Hiei can't sense it with his Jagan because Doctor Clone is blocking him. He does sense something iffy, but that's it.

Disclaimer: You all know the drill...and six reviews...

For now, just enjoy this chapter. It's not one of my favorites, but I like the fight scene.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN – ROUND TWO

The next day, Tamora woke up and switched off the headpiece, discreetly slipping it under her pillow when Catalyn wasn't looking. She felt so much better after a long night of training.

"Good morning, Tamora!" Catalyn said cheerfully, flashing a smile as she tied up her hair. Tamora made her no reply.

Catalyn's morning mood faded fairly quickly during the short walk to the stadium. Tamora supposed it was finally sinking in that she would have to sit out the final round due to Kuwabara's injury, for he and Kurama would not accompany the gang today. Kurama agreed with Yukina and Catalyn that he needed a good rest, and though Kuwabara had wanted to watch the matches, as soon as he heard Yukina would be staying with Kurama, he opted to spend the day resting as well. Hiei had actually voiced an objection to this, but even Yukina agreed that rest would help the burn heal faster, even though it looked almost completely healed already.

Yukina also mentioned that a surprise would be awaiting Yusuke at the entrance to the stadium. Apparently it was something that would give him a real push. She also said that Koenma would be looking for Tamora before the matches started. This surprised everyone, for no one knew what the toddler would want with her. Frankly though, Tamora couldn't care less.

At the entrance, the gang finally discovered Yusuke's surprise. It was a young woman with short brown hair and large, sparkling eyes. She waved when she spotted them.

"Yusuke!" she called, hurrying towards them.

Yusuke stared incredulously as she came his way. "Keiko?" he gasped. "What are you doing –?"

And Keiko smacked him across the face.

Hiei snickered and Catalyn began to laugh. Tamora merely stared. _So he has a girlfriend who can sock him, no problem,_ she thought. _It suits a dork like him._

Yusuke rubbed his cheek gingerly, glaring at Keiko. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

Keiko glared, positively murderous. "How many times do I have to tell you!" she roared furiously. "Next time you go on a mission, let me know! Is that so much to ask?"

Yusuke held up his hands in resignation. "I forgot! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Yeesh!"

Catalyn grinned. "It's good to see you again, Keiko! Come to cheer us on?"

Keiko gave the thumbs up. "You bet! Shizuru was going to come to, but something came up. I'll be sitting with Botan and Koenma."

"Someone say my name?"

Tamora turned around to see Koenma in his teenage form making his way through the crowds towards them, with Botan at his heels. He carried in his hands a long parcel.

"Hey, everyone," Koenma said through his pacifier. "I guess Kurama and Kuwabara's injuries are healing still? Well, I'd better get down to business. Tamora, this is for you." He handed her the parcel.

Tamora stared at it suspiciously and unwrapped it, revealing a sword similar to Hiei's. It was just what she needed for her next fight, considering how Hiei had been loath to hand over his own katana.

"I saw your fight in the first round, and I decided you'd be better off with a sword of your own rather than Hiei's," Koenma explained. He stopped, as if expecting a thank-you of some sort, but Tamora wasn't about to give it to him. So he said, "Well, we'd better go in and get some good seats." He turned to go.

"Good luck, you guys!" Botan called over her shoulder.

Keiko followed her. "Don't lose, Yusuke!" she added.

Yusuke grinned after her retreating figure. Tamora scowled. _A teenager in love. Typical._

They entered the arena a few minutes later to face their opponents, four members of The Fists of Doom. All were muscled, tough-looking men, but Tamora didn't care. She kept her eye on the tallest one, the one who wielded a sword. He had long hair in a ponytail and wore the outfit of a samurai. No one else mattered.

This time, the commentator was Juri, Koto's partner in tournaments. "Both teams appear to have left their two spares at home!" she said into the microphone. "Therefore, the first match will start right away! Both teams, please send your first contestant!"

A slim but well-built, broad-shouldered man stepped forward. He wore sunglasses and his thin lips were set in a firm line. He wore fighting gear similar to Catalyn's.

"None of them have very strong demonic powers," Catalyn noted, speaking to Tamora. "So I guess it won't matter who you fight. Would you like to take the first round?"

Tamora shook her head. "No," she muttered.

"No?" asked Yusuke. "Why not?"

"Fine, then, I'll take this one," Catalyn said, straightening her stance. "It might be just me, but these guys seem more like humans than demons. Plus I can tell this one might have a style similar to mine. I'd like to take this guy on."

"Be my guest," Yusuke said. "I think I'm gonna go for Muscles over there." Tamora followed his gaze and noticed a man with massive muscles unlike anything she'd ever seen. She scowled.

Catalyn leaped into the ring, propelling herself forward with her tail and using it to steady her smooth landing. She took a few more steps forward until she and her opponent were equal distances away from Juri, which wasn't very far.

"Okay!" Juri yelled. "The Fists of Doom have sent the famous martial artist Holden out first! As for team Urameshi, they're starting with the skilled feline warrior, Catalyn!"

Yusuke frowned. "Holden?" he repeated. "I've heard that name before. Back home." Tamora had recognized the man as well, but she said nothing. "I'm almost positive – he's a human!"

"Hn. Took you long enough to figure it out," Hiei muttered. "Isn't it obvious, Yusuke? Their lack of demonic energy, replaced instead with some spiritual awareness? Oh, I forgot. You're just as clueless as that dimwit Kuwabara."

"Shaddup, you little runt!" Yusuke seethed, waving his fists menacingly.

"Hn."

Juri's voice startled him back to attention. "And – begin!"

Catalyn took up a common neutral pose, ready to strike or defend at any moment. Her ears were twitching. Tamora knew what that meant from the notes Doctor Clone had given her. Her ears were very keen at sensing any kind of energy or abilities. She was studying her opponent before she acted, just like Kurama. She sighed. No wonder they were such a pair.

While focusing on Catalyn, Tamora also wondered about their opponents. Sure, they looked like humans, but so did Hiei and Kurama, who were most definitely demons. Even Catalyn was human enough except for her feline features. But their lack in demonic energy meant that they were indeed human after all. So that raised another question: If this tournament, taking place in the demon realm, is for demons, how did a team of humans besides Team Urameshi get involved? Was this another case like that of the Dark Tournament? When Tamora had read up on Yusuke and Kuwabara's combat skills, she had looked into their encounter with the three humans controlled by a demon. However, after studying her current opponents hard, she noticed no signs of them being under something's control. Or were they just power-hungry humans wanting to be stronger?

Holden made the first move. He rushed at Catalyn with lightning-quick steps. Catalyn immediately sidestepped, and he pivoted on one foot while kicking with the other. She raised her own leg to block the attack, using her tail to keep herself balanced. He grabbed her foot to pull her down. She went down easily, pressing her palms to the ground. Then her free foot swung around and took his legs out from under him. At the same time, they both pushed themselves off the ground with their hands and into the air.

They had pushed off close to each other. As they reached the height of their jumps, they swung their legs around to deliver a bone-shattering kick. Their legs collided as a parry and they quickly separated once again, only to lash out with their opposite legs, blocking each other once more.

"Would you look at that!" Juri was yelling into the microphone. "This is martial arts at its best! They're timing their attacks perfectly, yet preventing each other from managing even one single hit!"

Holden landed first. The moment he did, he charged for Catalyn, who still hadn't reached the ground. He sent a terrifying kick her way. Quickly, Catalyn bent towards the foot and held it off with the back of her palm, pushing it away. Then she leaned back again and landed, always maintaining her balance.

She and Holden collided in a flurry of fists and feet. They were so close together, moving so rapidly, that Tamora almost couldn't keep up. Still, she forced her eyes to focus on every little detail of their movements, studying the patterns and memorizing them. After all, the more patterns she could give Doctor Clone, the more of an advantage his clone would gain over Hiei. She knew Hiei liked to stick to his own style. That would be partly responsible for his own demise.

Finally, the two fighters separated. Holden's sunglasses cracked down the middle and slid off his face, revealing pale, sinister eyes, full of focus and contempt.

"Hmph," he said, speaking for the first time. His voice was smooth and deep. "You managed one hit."

Catalyn grinned, rotating and stretching her shoulder as a fist-sized red mark began to form an ugly bruise. "So did you," she pointed out with a wicked grin, her golden eyes flashing. "It's a draw. Looks like you can't beat me."

"It will hurt you to be so cocky," Holden replied. "Allow me to show you what I mean!" He charged, his speed twice that of before.

Catalyn barely had time to dodge. At the last possible second, her tail propelled her into the air. It positioned her to block the incoming fist with her left foot. Her right leg straight in the air, she swung it downwards to crush into the space between Holden's neck and shoulder.

Yusuke cried out in shock. Before she could land the hit, Holden had closed his fists around her left foot and used the grip to swing his leg up to block the kick. With his hands and feet trapping her legs, he easily swung her around and threw her out of the ring.

Catalyn braced herself for impact as she flew towards the wall just below the stands. Her eyes widened as she saw Holden zooming towards her, positioned to strike.

"Holden's done it!" Juri exclaimed. "He created an opening, and now Catalyn's defenseless! What will hit her first – the wall or the opponent?"

As Catalyn hurtled towards the wall, she forced her body to turn so that her back would collide with it. Just as Holden closed in on her, there was a resounding crash. Concrete flew in all directions and dust swept up to cover the scene. Suddenly, a body flew out of the chaos and landed headfirst into the ring.

Juri rushed over to see what it was. Tamora squinted to identify the fallen body. It was –

"It's Holden!" Juri announced. "And from the looks of it, he's unconscious! But where's Catalyn?"

The dust cleared, and everyone saw what happened to Catalyn. She had used her tail to defend her back from the wall as she delivered the kick that would defeat Holden, but the force of her flight could not keep her from crashing through the concrete. She stumbled out from the hole in the wall and instantly pitched downwards. She tried to get up again but her ankle gave way. Tamora could tell from the funny angle that she had fractured it.

Still on the ground, Catalyn held a palm over her injury. She healed the fracture by transferring some of her healing energy from her hand to her ankle until it was fixed. Then she got up again, this time with no problems. She leaped back onto the ring.

"And Catalyn wins the first fight!" Juri exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "That's one win for Team Urameshi!"

"Hold on a second!" came Koto's voice from upstairs. "This is Koto here, upstairs with the instant replay! It seems that Juri did not take a proper count when Catalyn left the ring! Yes, Holden was unconscious and therefore beaten, but Catalyn took more than ten seconds to return to the ring! Therefore, this match has been declared a draw!"

"What?" Yusuke yelled.

Catalyn groaned but grinned at him. "It's the truth, Yusuke. I was kinda hoping they wouldn't notice." She returned to them and scowled. Tamora had never seen such fury in her face before. "Damn! I almost had it, too!"

"Well, you sure put up a good fight," Yusuke said. "Were those some new moves you were pulling there?"

Catalyn grinned again. "Ah, so you noticed," she said.

"Hn. Even with new moves, you still lost," Hiei said. Catalyn glared at him.

"Okay, everybody!" Juri announced. "It's time for the next contestants to step forward!"

The man Yusuke had dubbed as Muscles stepped up to the ring.

"Your turn!" Catalyn told him, turning her back to Hiei.

"Don't you lose too," Hiei muttered, and Catalyn once again had to glare.

Yusuke chuckled a little and hopped forward. He faced his large, muscular opponent with a grin. "Hey, big guy, ready for some action?"

His opponent looked down at him with beady black eyes. "You're excited," he said in a low grumble. "That's good."

"It's Yusuke Urameshi himself versus Marcus!" Juri cried. "On my count…begin!"

Juri immediately gave a shriek into the microphone and leaped back, for Marcus had already begun his assault. Yusuke prepared to parry.

Tamora watched suspiciously as Marcus closed in, his arm winding up for a spectacular punch. When Catalyn screamed, "Yusuke, watch out!" she knew that the others had noticed as well.

Yusuke leaped back, startled, and stared as Marcus' punch hit the ground. Enormous slabs of concrete flew everywhere. Some even flew into the stands, squashing demons. When things settled down, it became clear why it was imperative that Yusuke avoid the blow.

The ground where Marcus had hit had completely caved in and out again around his fist, creating a huge fissure in the concrete that he had smashed in all directions. It was astounding that a human's punch could cause so much damage.

"There was definitely a large amount of spirit energy involved in that punch," Catalyn affirmed. "These guys aren't ordinary humans, that's for sure."

Tamora could only stare ahead of her. Though her expression didn't show it, her thoughts were racing. What she had just seen…she'd never seen anything like it before. Was it a sign of things to come? She didn't know if she even wanted to find the answer to that question.

Yusuke surveyed the damage with a surprised expression. Then he relaxed into a grin. His eyes sparked with excitement as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hoo boy," he said. "This is gonna be good!"


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry for such a long delay, everybody! But it's all over. Prom, convocation, exams, everything! So I am officially done high school but it still hasn't quite sunk in yet. It will soon, I am sure. However, in one week I am leaving for a camp in Calgary for the entire month of July. I am extremely busy this week with babysitting and packing and all, but I will try to see if I can update once or twice more before I leave to make up for it.

Instead of a whole list of thank yous (I made you all wait long enough), I will just take this little bit of time right now to extend a HUGE thank you to e.drennan, Vitanie Tora, Angelkitsune-Naomi, arrowgirl23, Yumiko-san, Psyco Anime Luver, fangimation, and Thunder Ring! Thank you all sooo much for sticking with me and putting up with the long delays!

Disclaimer: You know it all by now, I don't own YYH, yadda yadda yadda...

Remember I still would like reviews before I update! If you get them in fast I'll be able to put up another chapter before I leave! Enjoy!

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN – MASTERS OF THEIR ART

Yusuke faced his opponent, rubbing his hands together expectantly. He grinned from ear to ear. "This is gonna be a good one!" he said, his eyes sparking with excitement.

His foe, the extremely powerful Marcus, flexed his massive muscles. "That was just a taste of what's to come," he growled. "Next time, you won't have such an easy time dodging."

"Talking honorable now, eh, Muscles?" Yusuke replied. "You showed me your ability; I might as well show you mine too." He held out his right finger, preparing to release a spirit gun blast. Then he fired.

The burst of energy came forth, rocketing towards the ground at Marcus' feet. The man took two steps backwards, and the blast hit the ground. It created a huge explosion of concrete and rocks, covering the area with dust.

"Would you look at that!" Juri exclaimed into her microphone. "What a display of good sportsmanship! Then again, I guess it was to be expected from two human fighters!"

Off to the sidelines, Hiei frowned. "Baka," he muttered.

"That's just your opinion," Catalyn scoffed, wrinkling her nose. Her ears were perked up excitedly, and her tail swayed from side to side. "If Yusuke's opponent is willing to show sportsmanship, he's going to do the same. That's honorable. And I know you would do it too. You're vicious, but you don't take unfair advantages."

"Hn."

Tamora yawned, bored with their conversation. Catalyn was calling Hiei a softie. And perhaps he was, underneath his bravado. After all, she knew for a fact that Hiei would do anything for his sister.

She shrugged off thoughts of Hiei for now and returned her attention to the fight. Hiei wasn't fighting yet; she wouldn't gain anything from watching him stand there. However, she could still gain more information on the spirit detective himself.

The dust had cleared completely, and Marcus stared contemptuously at the mess Yusuke's attack had caused. Then he looked back up at Yusuke, his black eyes narrowed. "Don't hold back next time."

Yusuke sighed and grinned. "That was just a taster," he replied. "I'm serious now."

Marcus nodded. "Good," he said, "because so am I."

They charged.

They met each other in a flurry of fists and dodges. They moved at a frightening pace, but Tamora's eyes gradually got used to their movements until she was able to follow them.

"Look at this exchange of blows!" Juri yelled. "Each is trying to gain the advantage over the other!"

_No_, Tamora thought as she watched the movements clearly. _You're wrong about that. They aren't exchanging blows at all. Marcus is throwing the punches here. Yusuke's doing all he can to avoid being hit. It's a game of cat-and-mouse right now_.

"He's being too cautious," she murmured aloud.

Catalyn heard her and replied with her eyes still on the fight, "He can't counter now. Marcus isn't giving him the time."

"Wrong," Hiei butted in with an air of arrogance. "Yusuke could counter and make it a true exchange of blows. However, he's holding back so he doesn't get hit."

"Hmph," Tamora said. "That's a coward's act."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." She and Hiei flashed each other quick glares.

Catalyn sighed. Her eyes had not left the fight, but she knew the two well enough by now. "He's waiting for the right opportunity," she said. "He'll counter soon enough."

Tamora turned her attention once again back to the fight, furious with herself for engaging in such a meaningless conversation. As she watched, she began to pick up a pattern in Marcus' movements. Sure enough, the pattern began to repeat itself. Left jab, right jab, uppercut, right jab, left jab, right jab… It was so simple yet so effective. With the power he had backing his punches, it was a huge challenge to parry. However, with such a simple pattern, she knew that Yusuke should be well able to find a good opening. Why was he waiting so long?

Even more troubling were the strange things Tamora had begun to see throughout the fight. She didn't even know how to describe them, but they littered the entire stadium. She could have sworn they weren't there before. Sometimes they flashed before her eyes and then vanished, only to pop up in her field of vision once more. Tamora was a perfect, straight-As student. Why was it that she could not for the life of her find an explanation for this strange occurrence?

Marcus continued punching relentlessly and Yusuke swerved from side to side as he dodged. Then Tamora noticed that though he was using his palms and fists to push aside Marcus' arms, Yusuke kept his right index finger slightly straighter than the rest. He was indeed waiting for the perfect opening. If he managed a hit at such a close range, the match would be his. There was absolutely no way any opponent could take a spirit gun blast like that.

Yusuke's opportunity showed up an instant later. Marcus' next punch wavered slightly, so Yusuke easily dodged it. For the next punch, Yusuke blocked.

Marcus' eyes widened; Yusuke had avoided the blows every time, but now he used his left arm to trap his. There was a burst of light and Yusuke fired his spirit gun.

The blast was short, for it caught Marcus straight in the chest and pitched him out of the ring, crashing into the concrete stadium wall.

"Would you look at that!" Juri exclaimed. "A totally unexpected move, but Yusuke just delivered a fatal blow! It will be hard for Marcus to recover from that!"

"Hey!" yelled someone from the stands. "Start the count!"

"Oh! Right," Juri said, and she held up her hand, bringing it down with each count. "One! Two! Three!"

The rubble cleared and Marcus emerged, walking slowly forward. Already his chest was badly bruised and seemed squished in somehow. If it caused any respiratory issues, he hid them well. He returned to the ring just as Juri was completing her seventh count. He stretched his chest forward, expanding it as much as he could, and then let it in again. His arm muscles were as strong as ever, despite the deflation of his chest.

"Now you only have two shots left," Marcus commented.

"You don't have very many to begin with yourself," Yusuke replied slyly. He held up his arm, the one he had used for the block. A bruise was forming slowly, but it was nothing serious. "I can take those wussy punches without a problem. When are you gonna get serious?"

Catalyn gaped. "Oh, I see," she said. "Marcus doesn't always put that amount of force and energy into his punches. He has a limit too, just like Yusuke."

Marcus grinned. "Same as you, I only have two left. The more powerful the technique, the less it can be used. But I warn you; I've mastered this move at an early age. Don't think your spirit gun can counter it."

Yusuke shrugged. "We'll see about that," he said. "I've mastered my specialty, too."

They came for each other again and met in a flurry of punches. This time, they did nothing to block each other's blows. The merely slugged it out, waiting for one of them to weaken so that they could make their move.

Suddenly there were two great flashes of light. They engulfed the fighters and exploded, and nothing more of the play could be seen.

"Would you look at that!" Juri cried. "They both attacked at the same time, and at such a deathly close range! Will there be anything left of them?"

Tamora thought back hard on the moves leading up to the blasts. Had she even seen them? Of course she did. She just had to replay it through her mind, and it would come. So there they were, slugging it out… Their fists met… Yusuke attacked, Marcus parried, and then Marcus wound up for a punch – but wait! That was it! Right there, Marcus gathered his energy into a massive punch, heading straight for Yusuke's face! Yusuke brought up his right arm to retaliate, and then – all she saw were the two flashes of light.

Tamora frowned. There had been more to it than that, she was sure. The way Yusuke's arm had begun to position itself as he parried…obviously he had fired his spirit gun. Did he fire right into the punch, or did he aim for an opening, all the while taking the blow?

The light surrounding the fighters faded and the dust settled. When it cleared, Marcus was lying face-up on the ground, and a wobbly Yusuke remained on his feet, clutching his right arm and wincing in pain.

"Marcus is down!" Juri exclaimed. "Amazing! I don't know how it happened, but I'm starting the count! One!"

"Yusuke had better hope Marcus doesn't get up," Catalyn commented, her ears twitching. "Technically Marcus still has a shot left, whereas Yusuke's running on empty."

"Hn," Hiei said. "The fool's a born gambler."

Tamora glanced at them quickly for a moment, then turned her attention back to Yusuke. Empty? But he had two shots left! Had he fired them both?

She strained her eyes as she recalled the moves leading up to the final attacks. Marcus wound up for the punch, and Yusuke raised his arm to retaliate. She strained even further… Yusuke fired at the punch just before it connected, then lowered his arm to aim for Marcus' chest… The punch connected with his arm just as he fired… And then the flash of light engulfed everything.

"Seven!"

Tamora observed Marcus' unmoving body. Sure enough, Yusuke's attack had caught him directly in the chest – exactly where the last spirit gun had hit. There was no way Marcus would recover from two blows to the chest. As long as Yusuke stayed standing, the match was his. Tamora peered at his arm. It was badly bruised, even with the spirit gun to absorb some of the energy of Marcus' punch. It really was amazing.

"Ten! Marcus is down! Yusuke wins!" Juri exclaimed.

Yusuke hopped down to meet his teammates. "Whoo-ee!" he exclaimed. "Man, does that guy pack a punch! If I hadn't countered it, he would've clobbered me!"

"Hn. You got lucky," Hiei said. "Be thankful you hit him in the same spot twice."

"Yeah, I guess I should be grateful for that," Yusuke said nonchalantly. "Hey, Catalyn, mind taking a look at my arm?"

As Catalyn placed her palm on Yusuke's bruise, Tamora's face muscles worked as she fought to contain her shock. Yusuke hadn't done it on purpose. He just got lucky. She shook her head in disbelief. It made her wonder how Yusuke managed to become as powerful as they said.

Juri's voice brought her mind back to the arena. "The Fists of Doom have chosen Sergei as their next fighter! Team Urameshi, please bring up your next fighter as well!"

Tamora eyed the next contender. Sure enough, he was the one. He stood tall and proud, his sword at his side. Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm going," she announced.

Hiei opposed this instantly. "I'll be the one to handle him. You can barely wield that sword of yours."

"I'm fighting," Tamora said firmly, "or I'll default my match."

"Hn. We won't need your match if I win mine."

"Let her be," Yusuke said lightly. "We all know you'll take care of whoever's left, so no use in making a big deal about it."

Hiei glared. "Hn!"

Tamora stepped up on the ring, but not before throwing Hiei a satisfied smirk. Then she faced her opponent, Sergei.

He had a narrow and expressionless face, and he drew his sword effortlessly, as if the metal weighed nothing more than a feather. Tamora could tell from his stance that he was definitely a master of the blade, unlike the puppets of Doctor Clone that she trained against. It would be a tough challenge, but she accepted it with open arms. She drew her katana.

"Get ready!" Juri cried. "And…fight!"

Sergei charged immediately, so quickly that Tamora vaguely wondered if he had started early. But she didn't have time to linger on such trivial thoughts, for Sergei was right on top of her, swinging his blade down, and she was forced to raise her katana in order to parry. But the force of Sergei's swing was so much greater than what she was used to that her legs crumbled and she fell, jabbing outwards in order to keep herself from giving too much of an opening.

As she stumbled to her feet, Sergei came towards her again. Tamora took a few quick steps to get the speed needed to go on the offensive and swung. Suddenly Sergei vanished and reappeared behind her, thrusting. Tamora had to time to parry, and so she threw herself to the ground, knowing full well she was setting herself up for trouble.

Sure enough Sergei was upon her in no time. He brought his blade down and she rolled out of the way, slicing with her katana as she got back to her feet.

She didn't understand what had just happened. Somehow, Sergei had known exactly what she was going to do and made the best possible choice on how to dodge it and strike back. What had she done to give herself away so much? How did he know where she would aim?

"I know what you're thinking right now," Sergei said. "You're wondering how I dodged your last attack so perfectly. Honestly, it's quite simple: I can read your expressions. A swordsman's expressions tell his opponent everything there is to know, and only a very well trained fighter can read them so easily." He twirled his sword in his fingers. "It's obvious that you haven't been fighting for very long. You won't be able to hide your expressions from me. You might as well give up now."

Tamora merely glared at him. "Absolutely not," she said, and she charged again.

Once again, Sergei dodged her, but this time, Tamora was able to follow his movements more easily. If she could just catch up with his speed, her expressions wouldn't matter.

Sergei dodged and attacked. Tamora barely had the chance to parry, but it was an improvement.

As their blades separated, Sergei let out a low chuckle. "It's your funeral," he said.


End file.
